


Potions & how to (not) use magic!

by Yasus



Series: Magic for Beginners [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angels, Angst, Anxiety, BoyxBoy, Dark Magic, Demons, Eventual Smut, Fae & Fairies, Fluff and Humor, How Do I Tag, I'm at the tagging again lmao, I'm not sure about the whole story, I'm not sure bout that lmao, It's about to go go - DOWN DOWN BABY, Jeongin is a baby so he'll be the supportive lonely friend, Kim Namjoon because we stan, M/M, Magic, Mentioned 2PM Ensemble, Mentioned Bangtan Boys Ensemble, Mentioned EXO (EXO), Mentioned GOT7 Ensemble, Mentioned ITZY Ensemble, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Mentioned TWICE Ensemble, Mentions of Death, Mystic creatures, Okay I'll stop for now lmao, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Panic Attacks, Romance, Stan even though they didn't really do anything because they're in the military, Those tags are getting long lmao, Warlocks, We stan Mr. World-Wide-Handsome, Wizards, Wow no one featured 2PM in their stories yet I'm sad, but I hope you'll like it, but it's not bad I promise, can't believe i forgot the probably most important tag of this story wtf, feel free to read if it doesn't bother you it's really not that bad-, i figured that I should've tagged some blood and description of violence-, it's not bad though fjeifpfnw, may have some triggering content, maybe I'll add some other groups too, maybe some drama lmao idk, please watch out for yourselves, probably long ass chapters lmao I'm sorry (not), probably some other groups mentioned I'll add later lmao, so here it is I guess, sorry Seungmin lol, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-01-23 17:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 206,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21323761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yasus/pseuds/Yasus
Summary: All Jisung wanted to do was closing his beloved pub.He didn't exactly think he'd meet a wanted warlock instead.-Or; how a magic potion expert's life got messed up by an innocent warlock on the loose.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Original Male Character(s), Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Series: Magic for Beginners [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537273
Comments: 346
Kudos: 472





	1. white potion

**White potion; **  
**a boring potion, not doing anything particular. It’s usually for amateur potion makers who should still practice how to use the ingredients. There are no specific risks for this potion, which is why it’s perfect for a fool to practice some more. Even experienced potion makers are still making those potions in order to perfect their skills and beat their own dumb records. For whatever reason.   
** **So long story short; this potion does not do anything for you. Might as well drink water then, tastes better anyways.**

* * *

Enos was a kingdom full of magic and mysteries. Creatures of all kinds wandered the green lands of it; its wine being one of the best things some could consume. Located at the west coast of Ifith, a continent with a total of ten countries, Enos was known as a touristic location. Nevertheless, the begotten were very down to earth. At least as far as a country full of magic could actually be down to earth.

Magic was considered a daily routine and in Ifith, every country being known for their own great wizards. Enos’ history was just as long and well-known as the histories of all the other countries. Apart from their very rich grapes and the wonderful beach, all of the antic temples also added onto the considerably long list of sightseeing. They were mostly empty and out of any holy rites. Yet, even in those times of magic and mystics, great wizards and powerful warlocks were just as seldom as nine tailed foxes. There were hundreds, no, thousands of witches and smaller wizards, using their magic in a rather boring way; for example tailor or baker, breeder or simple teachers. They obviously used their magic for the benefit of whatever kind of job they had to do for a living. Though, even with the magic flowing through their veins, they weren’t anywhere near as powerful as the greatest and most powerful one’s.

There were ten great wizards, known for their extraordinary magical power, which made them special in any way. All of them were spread all over Ifith but only three were known so far. But why ten, if there were only three known by name? Well, it’s a secret, guarded by the goddess of magic, the queen of Ifith and ruler of all creatures, human and wizards; Ranera, the goddess of stars. No one ever got to see her, and no one knows her true name apart from the great wizards and the powerful warlocks.

But now, now – what are warlocks? And what in the name of Ranera was the difference between a wizard and a warlock? Well, if one would ask a normal, Ifith begotten, they would plainly say that a warlock was evil, and a wizard was not. Which is only partly true. There are just as many warlocks or sorcerers as there were wizards. The difference wasn’t exactly their affinity to good or bad, rather than how they used magic. While Ranera gifted wizards with the ability of freedom and light, warlocks used dark magic and curses. Not like they couldn’t do incantations of pureness too – they just weren’t as powerful with light magic. They were most powerful in a new moon night, when the sky was dark and the stars lonely. Wizards on the other hand got the peak of their powers in full moon nights.

Unfortunately for warlocks all around the continent of Ifith, this well-known fact made them really…infamous. People naturally avoided them, trying to outcast every creature with dark magic flowing through their veins. Even though dark, does not equal evil. Just like light does not equal everything good. Yet, every being in this world was trying to get through their day.

For example, magical creatures like fairies and half-mages. Living in a world with both, humans and magical creatures, also meant that there were hybrids. Hybrids were just as infamous as warlocks, known for their unstable magic. They were unfairly treated by a lot of people and usually lived with their relative hybrids in small villages, outside and far away from humans or mages. There were thousands of different hybrids, crossings between humans and magical creatures or just two magical creatures hybridized to one extraordinary creature. Typically, the only creatures not having any hybrids were werewolves. But that’s a whole other story to tell in another book.

What is there more to say? I think, we got the most of it for you to understand this story as for now. Everything else will be explained further into the story.

Which is bound to be told now, within a relatively small town called Orlon in the middle of nowhere in Enos. In Orlon, there’s this tiny, cute pub – nothing big or extraordinary, only known by the townspeople and some travellers. But even though it was small and normal, it sold the best carbonated beverages in this region. No one exactly knew why or how the rather young host was able to get his hands on such rare and good ware – then again, why should they care?

Han Jisung was a rather small man with cute cheeks, big eyes, blonde hair (which was weird in many ways, but no one ever dared asking him why he had blonde hair to begin with) and the cutest squirrel like teeth one had ever seen. He lived alone, above his small pub and hosted it on his own, not relaying on anyone or anything. He grew up in Orlon, knew everyone and therefore usually also knew everything going on in and around the town. He wouldn’t exactly say he was the best host with the best pub, but it was enough for him and he didn’t need more than what he already had. His life wasn’t gold and platinum, but…it was okay.

In all of his twenty years of living, he never once wanted to change his life. Not when his father disappeared, not even when his mother died. His life was easy and pretty boring at first sight, nothing you’d want to trade with your own to be honest. Han Jisung’s days usually began with him, waking up at six in the morning to be one of the first attendants at the market. After all, the early bird catches the worm. And buying ingredients and fresh vegetables and fruits was of course a very important task for every host. Today was no exception, Jisung’s day started off just like every other day; he woke up at six o’clock, got ready, went to the market, prepared his pub and opened up at exactly 8am. He usually didn’t have many guests during lunch, but there were more for breakfast and in the afternoon. Considering this was a pub, he usually had his guest peak at 10pm, before the days ended at late midnight. Yes, Jisung’s days were long but just like no one would try to have his life, he didn’t really think about trading it himself either.

Apart from the fact that today was a day just like every other day (or so it seemed), Jisung had this weird feeling in his gut. Maybe – just maybe – it was due to his best friend’s visit for lunch.

Kim Seungmin was everything Jisung was not. Calm, collected, a pessimist and really good with his words. Not like Jisung was not. But let’s just say while Jisung enjoyed his life, Seungmin simply viewed most things very pessimistic. Whether it meant meeting someone new or having to do something, Seungmin usually expected a bad outcome. He was a bookworm and really religious, his home currently being one of the oldest and last remaining, still used temples not far from Orlon. His father was a priest there and his mother a priestess. Of course, they both expected Seungmin to step into their family tradition too. Jisung was sure that Seungmin didn’t exactly want to be a priest but then again, he didn’t seem unhappy. Just his usual, monotone self.

Considering his parents were both really strict (even though Seungmin already was nineteen), they barely allowed him to go visit someone or do something outside the temple. Jisung never really understood the exact reason (Seungmin kept saying it was strictly forbidden to talk about it) but apparently, he had to stay near the temple for some weird reasons. Once per week though, he was allowed to leave the temple for whatever reason. He usually did so for running errands and then went to eat lunch with Jisung. This Wednesday was one of those days – a day, on which Jisung got to talk to Seungmin for a decent amount of time.

Seungmin did what he always did once he entered the small pub, located near the river that flows through Orlon; he opened the door quietly, sneaked himself in and sat down in some hidden corner, far away from prying eyes and attention. Which was ridiculous, because there were literally no customers at all during lunch. Yet, and it didn’t matter how often Jisung tried to explain it to his friend, Seungmin always did it just like that with no exceptions.

Jisung smiled and finished the salad he just made, carrying it over to Seungmin’s table along with two plates, knives and forks and two glasses. «Seungmin! Why do you look even more tired than usual?«

The young priest looked up from his book – something about plants – his brown hair loosely covering his forehead and his attire – as usual – white as snow and careful not to show anything from his skin. Jisung would’ve thought about thousands of jokes but knew that Seungmin obviously was not in the mood for any of them right now. He had dark eye bags and seemed rather skinny, even though he was never really known for his muscles or broad appearance. He raised his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds before sighing. Jisung already knew what that meant and spoke synchronized with Seungmin: «I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.«

The younger blinked a few times and frowned, a tired gloss glazing over his eyes as he watched the host sitting down in front of him. «You know I’d tell you if I could. But I’m-…« - «You’re bound to your holy oath and must not say anything forbidden…«, Jisung interrupted him and finished his sentence with a sigh himself. «I know. It’s just…sometimes, I feel like you know everything about my life, while I have no idea about yours.«

Seungmin’s frown intensified. «You know plenty of things about literally any other person in this town.«  
«It’s not the same, their life isn’t anywhere near as interesting as yours.«

While Jisung scooped them both some of his freshly made salad (Seungmin didn’t eat any meat, strict order from the temple, he asked his best friend about how his day was in general so far. The priest sighed again, this time more willingly answering, «It was exhausting…«, he hesitated for a few seconds before seemingly forcing himself to open his mouth again, secretively leaning forward even though there was no on else in the pub. «I shouldn’t tell you about this, but I will…because this shouldn’t be something the priests can just hide from the citizens. And I’m really worried about you…«

The host frowned and leaned forward as well, Seungmin continued, «The last couple of days were really hectic. Like I said, I can’t exactly tell you anything about that. But last night…we suddenly got a fire message from Atror. It was sent by…Ranera herself.«

Jisung stopped in his movement of filling their glasses with water and stared at Seungmin for a few seconds. Atror was the biggest country in Ifith and held the great castle, Alpha Centauri, which was named after the brightest star exiting. Queen Ranera resided there and usually, no one ever heard anything from her. The great ten wizards were the only living creatures who got a glimpse of her. So how come she talked to the priests all of a sudden?

«We weren’t the only temple. The other active temples also got the exact same message. The high priest went to discuss it with his second priest and the one’s from the other temples. They decided to ignore it and go on like nothing happened but – I just don’t feel good about this decision…«, Seungmin almost looked like he wanted to puke right then and there, Jisung silently shoving his now full water glass over to him. He took a few swallows and then started rhythmically bouncing his right leg, like he always did when he was nervous. «The message said; _‘Dark times are bound to rise, trust the moon’_. They decided to understand it as a normal wise speech from the queen, telling us to be careful and healthy…«

Honestly spoken, even though Jisung was nowhere near being a priest or understanding a goddess’ riddles, he felt the same. There was a sickening feeling in his gut – something that told him to be careful, that something about this message definitely was not normal at all. Seungmin nervously swallowed his salad and continued without Jisung saying anything, «There’s no way the goddess meant a simple _‘be healthy’_ with her message. Why should she send a fire message to all of the temples after hundreds of years just for something like that?«

Jisung didn’t know. And even after changing the subject and promising Seungmin to properly lock everything for the night and not going out when it’s dark, he still felt that sickening feeling. That feeling in his gut, that something was about to happen.

Oh, how right his gut was. He had no idea, until later that day.

Actually, a lot later. Jisung had just kicked out the last (drunk) man for today, telling his (not less drunk) friend to be careful and not stumble into the river (as far as they even understood or heard him). He went inside to do clean up and then lock down the backdoor. Just when the young host was behind the bar, organizing the bottles of wine under it, he heard someone aggressively opening and closing the door to his pub. He flinched and (also aggressively) hit his head on the underside of the bar, hissing in pain before finally getting up, all about to shout at whoever dared to ignore the _‘closed’_ sign in front of the door.

Instead, once he opened his mouth and shouted «Hey!«, the person at the door flinched as well and turned around. While doing so, the hood of his cloak fell of his head and Jisung could see his face. Or rather could’ve seen his face, because within the next second, all of his lights were out – candles he usually had to lit and extinguish all by himself, one after another.

Jisung knew, at exactly this moment, that there was a sorcerer of some sort in his pub. He closed his eyes, trying to swallow his anger, «Just because you turned the lights off, doesn’t mean I’d suddenly forget that I saw you ten seconds ago.«

A long silence fell between the two of them, the host hearing people shout outside of his pub – which was unusual for such a small town like Orlon. The next thing he heard though, after surely one minute of nothing at all, he heard a silky, raspy voice mutter, «Fuck!«


	2. invisibility potion

**Invisibility potion;**

**This potion is one of the easier things to do. Especially because it’s fun telling that ** **inexperienced** ** potion makers and watch them walking around with no head. No worries; their head is just invisible. Which means they at least weren’t completely fucking it up. The invisibility potion obviously makes its consumer invisible – what a surprise. Most importantly though; you might want to check your water while brewing it, because it needs to brew exactly six hours on an open fire. Huh? What happens if you’d brew it more than six hours? **

**Let’s just say; do it correctly and you’d hopefully won’t ever have to find out…**

* * *

One would think, being a friendly host of such a cute little pub would make you seem like a really outgoing, open person. And yes, Jisung mostly was outgoing and open. Which does not mean he liked everyone and trusted humans (or creatures, whatever) in general. And trusting some weird guy with a black cloak and obvious magical powers didn’t exactly seem like something Jisung should do.

He was not keen on dealing with him right now, the light in his pub still out and the curse word from only mere seconds ago still echoing through the pub. Jisung knew for a fact that whoever was out there shouting definitely was looking for someone. And given the fact that this guy at Jisung’s door almost jumped out of his skin as soon as he realized there was another person in here, the host would like to guess really good and say they were looking for that cloak-guy.

Cloak-guy remained silent after his small hiss of «fuck«, at least until Jisung decided to break the silence, «Could you please turn on the light again, I know you’re there.«

Another set of silence before Jisung’s eyes got blinded by his magically lit candles. He needed a few seconds to adjust to the sudden light again, his eyes getting a glimpse of the mysterious sorcerer in front of him. He had dark hair and light skin, his eyes were round and shimmered in a really beautiful magenta. His cloak hid all of his clothes perfectly well and Jisung had no idea if he was well-build or not because of that. Yet, he knew for a fact that the stranger probably was taller than him (which wasn’t really difficult).   
«Thank you«, Jisung hissed sarcastically, not trying to hide his annoyance while stepping towards the cloak-guy. «I’d really appreciate it, if you’d leave my pub now because I really want to close it down and go to bed for today-…«

Right when Jisung was about to grab the handle of the door, another hand grabbed his wrist and he turned to look at the sorcerer (for now ignoring how soft his hands were even though he grabbed onto him tightly), «No, wait! Please don’t open that door, I’ll pay you for my stay!«  
«This is a pub not an inn, so go pay someone else-…«, the host tried to argue, when the cloak-guy interrupted him once again, «I can’t, they’ll find me-…!«

Jisung narrowed his eyes at him. «What makes you feel I won’t hand you out once they knocked on my door?«  
«You think they’ll knock here?!«, the stranger said. The host almost laughed at the undeniably funny expression of pure shock. «Of course they’ll going to knock here, the lights are on and my pub is literally one of the only open houses in this area of Orlon.«

The stranger gulped visibly, his eyes clearly showing how badly he was thinking about an idea. Jisung though couldn’t care less and shrugged all about to wriggle his wrist out of the cloak-guy’s grip and open the god damn door. But the sorcerer felt it and immediately grabbed the host harder.   
«Wait! I’m innocent, I really am! I only managed to run away and escape them two weeks ago!«

«You’re a sorcerer aren’t you, just trick them and leave me alone!«, Jisung answered and tried freeing his wrist again – to no avail. «I can’t! I’m too weak because they cut off my magical source for almost three months! My magic hasn’t fully recovered yet!«

«Well that sucks for you, I guess!«, Jisung said. He finally freed his wrist and was all about to open the door and shout for whoever was looking for that strange cloak-guy, when the soothing voice behind him suddenly said, «Oh my god, you’re a magic potion maker!«

Every muscle in Jisung’s body froze. He had been living in Orlon his whole life, his earliest memories began with this tiny town. And no one ever found out about his secret (except for Seungmin of course).

Magic potion makers were just as infamous as warlocks or hybrids. They used the flow of both, light and dark magic, in order to mix certain potions. Jisung was no exception. The most powerful magic potion makers that ever existed were able to perfect their own skills so far, that they could even use light and dark magic to an unbelievably and ridiculously perfect amount. There was near to nothing that could stop them. Which is why magic potion makers were hunted really badly. Jisung’s mother was one too, her powers constantly under control. He didn’t remember much about her but knew that priests from the temple used to check on her level of magic regularly.

Now, of course, they also checked Jisung’s magic powers a few times. But they never detected anything from him – he did have magic in his body, but he couldn’t use it. His father used to say it’s because he had some defect. The host didn’t know and didn’t really care as long as the priests and the guards left him alone.

Which was why he had no idea, how this cloak-guy found out about his magical power and him, being a magic potion maker. He must’ve seen Jisung’s absolutely shocked expression because suddenly, a smug grin set onto his face, «I see. So you’re hiding from the regular checks. No one knows about your little secret, huh?«

The host knew that he flushed red – he wasn’t so sure if it was because he was angry or flustered though. «I-It’s way more complicated than that! How do you know?!«  
«I’m a warlock. I immediately sensed your inner flow of dark magic. It’s weak, but it’s there. No wonder they never found out, I really had to hold onto your wrist for a long time to get a glimpse of it. Can you even use magic?«

Jisung huffed and shook his head. «No. No I can’t. And I also don’t want to. I rarely use my magic. And I don’t want anything to do with it. So could you please just leave-…«  
«That’s unfortunate for you. We’re living in Enos, a country of Ifith – there’s no continent as magical as ours. And besides…«, the sorcerer grinned even wider, smugly leaning forward to make sure Jisung realized how much shorter he actually was in comparison. «…I think this information is really helpful. If you’ll let me hide from them, your secret will never leave my lips as long as I’m alive.«

Oh no. Jisung did not like where this was going, not at all. «Are you kidding me? They’ll kill me if you’ll tell them about this!« - «Well, they’ll most certainly kill me as well, once they got me again.«  
«I assume they’re looking for you for a reason, how about facing the consequences of what you did?!«, the host argued.

«I already told you, I’m innocent!«, they both stopped shouting at each other once they heard the voices outside getting clearer and louder. The cloak-guy poked the inner side of his cheeks with his tongue and turned to look at Jisung again, his smug grin gone and replaced with a hint of panic and desperation. «Look, I really don’t want to hand you out. Because you didn’t do anything wrong and you didn’t wish to be born as a magic potion maker. But I’m innocent, just like you. So do we have a deal or are we both just going to die?«

Jisung stared at the guy and contemplated his options. To be honest, he couldn’t care less about that sorcerer. And if he played his cards well, he could inject him a potion that would make him pass out and forget what happened within the last twelve hours. Yet, if that didn’t work out – the warlock would most definitely hand him out to the guards. Jisung had a fifty-fifty chance of getting out of this without getting his head chopped off for lying to the kingdom and temples (and therefore, at least in the priest’s eyes, to goddess Ranera). He really did not want to help that warlock. Jisung had no idea why they were looking for him – he could’ve killed someone, as far as the host knew. Yet, even with his dark hair and the absolutely stunning face, he still didn’t seem like a murderer. Which was ridiculous to assume – Jisung didn’t know this guy. And his smug grin added to the fact that he probably could be evil sometimes.

Then again – couldn’t everyone?

He snapped out of his thoughts as soon as he heard guards coming nearer to his pub, the first one already stepping onto the wooden stairs that let to the door. «Okay!«, Jisung hissed and whipped his head around to his bar. «Behind the bar. There’s an empty shelf and you can open the wall there. Hide in there and I’ll handle the guards!«

The sorcerer visibly relaxed and didn’t need to hear those words again before rushing through the few tables in between the door and the bar, jumping over it and opening the hidden door (after some struggling). He hissed, «Why is this door so hard to open?!«, he complained. Jisung rolled his eyes at him and answered in a hushed tone, «It would not be a secret door if everyone knew how to open it you fool!«

It seemed like the sorcerer wanted to argue some more, but he was interrupted by a loud knocking sound on the door. The second Jisung turned to open the door, the warlock slammed the little door to the hideout shut. The host almost wanted to roll his eyes again and hoped that no guard heard that slam.

He was met with a group of three men, all of them taller than him (of course) and seemingly older as well.

The one on the left had soft features and tired eyes, almost as if he had literally no motivation to look any further for a runaway warlock. Which probably was true. He wore a dark blue, neat suit with a cloak over his shoulders, his black hair parted in the middle suiting his whole rather dark self;  
the guy right next to him had light brown hair and sharp eyes, wore a dark red suit (what’s up with those dark colors?) and a matching cloak over his shoulders, just like the first guy. He looked like the type of guy Jisung would have to explain that he was old enough to run a pub by himself for hours and he still wouldn’t believe him one bit;  
finally, the last guy, a man with a really handsome face, plump lips and big eyes. He looked nice but Jisung had no doubt that he certainly could be unfriendly. He wore a dark green suit and the same cloak over his shoulders, his hair plain black and not styled at all – yet he looked mesmerizing without putting any effort in. He just stood there and Jisung felt like the most boring being on this planet.

All of them wore the exact same cloak though – the symbol of Atror.

The man in the middle spoke first, his eyes narrowing at Jisung in an unsettling way. «Good evening, Sir. My name is Im Jaebeom, we’re from the Magical Security and Law Enforcement Unit, the MSLE. If you don’t mind, we’d like to ask you a few questions.«

Jisung forced himself to take a very inconspicuous, normal breath and smiled, opening the door to his pub some more. «Of course, I was just about to close the pub. But please, step inside.«

The host didn’t know if he should consider it strange that none of the other two guys even cared about introducing themselves. Yet again, they were from Atror – Jisung never met people from the holy kingdom, let alone guards from the MSLE. While Jaebeom took his sweet time to thoroughly inspect almost every corner of what his eyes were able to inspect so far, the guy in the dark green suit stepped forward. He combed his hand through his hair, almost making Jisung groan at how incredibly good looking it made him look He smiled sweetly, the kind of smile that would sway every mother off their feet and fool every father into believing this guy would actually bring their daughter back at exactly 10pm. «My name is Park Jinyoung. I’m very sorry for bothering you at such an hour.«

«…It’s okay. Would you like to drink something?«, Jisung answered, not very unsuspiciously avoiding Jinyoung’s touch and close proximity. Jaebeom’s deep voice suddenly appeared next to him, shocking the hell out of him, «I think we’re all fine with water, thank you.«

Even before Jisung was able to take a full step towards the bar, the quiet guy in the dark blue suit suddenly grabbed his arm and said in a calm and almost quiet voice, «I heard you’re selling the best wine that can be found around this area. I want to try it.«

Jaebeom immediately sighed. «Youngjae, we already talked about this…«  
«I don’t remember that at all«, the guy obviously named Youngjae answered with a plain expression on his face. Jisung forced himself not to sigh – how come they were all so handsome? Was that some Atror thing he didn’t understand? Or was it because of the holy kingdom? Was there some kind of effect from goddess Ranera? His (stupid) thoughts were interrupted by Jinyoung’s melodic voice, still calm and friendly as ever, «Jaebeom told you while we were on the boat to Ifith that you should not drink any alcohol while being on duty, even if we’re in Enos, a country known for their absolutely rich grapes and good wine.«

Youngjae stared at Jinyoung for a solid twenty seconds, not moving or saying anything. He just stood there and stared. Until he blinked and exhaled with a really passive «Ah…«, his face though not twitching at all and remaining a bored, blank expression. «I slept on the boat; I didn’t hear that.«  
«W-Wha-…« - «And besides, it’s past midnight. Technically, I’m not on duty anymore«, he interrupted Jaebeom’s shocked attempt to say anything.

Jisung flinched when Youngjae turned his head to look at him again, his grip on the host’s arm by the way never faltered during the whole discussion just now. «So, I’d like a glass of your best wine.«  
«…Okay…so two water and a wine, coming up…«, he mumbled and subtly glanced at his arm, signalling Youngjae to let go, which he immediately did with a short nod. It probably was supposed to be a _‘I’m sorry nod’_. The host decided that Youngjae was just weird and went behind the bar, filling three glasses with the orders.

Meanwhile, the three guards went to sit down at the bar. While Youngjae blankly stared at the wine (Jisung had no idea what he could probably be thinking of right now), Jaebeom watched his every move cautiously. And Jinyoung…well, Jinyoung just smiled and gratefully took the glass, settling it down in front of him, «Thank you very much. So, we’re currently looking for a dangerous warlock.«

The host blinked confused at how nonchalantly Jinyoung started the topic, almost as if they were friends for years and were talking about the weather outside. He nodded shortly, not having any idea what warlock they exactly meant. Or more precisely; he had no idea what the warlock in his hideout actually did to get hunted by guards from the MSLE. Jinyoung either didn’t care about his sudden change of topic or didn’t notice how weird it was. «We can’t tell you what he did, but we’re wondering if you’ve seen this man somewhere near Orlon within the last couple of days?«

Jaebeom suddenly held a paper in front of Jisung’s nose, the host having to lean back so he could actually see it. It was a portrait of the guy Jisung hided in his little chamber only a meter away from all of them, obviously shot when he was taken hostage. Even on this picture, his face was undeniably handsome.

Shaking his head lightly, Jisung poured a little bit of wine into Youngjae’s glass, letting him taste a little sip first. «Unfortunately, no. I haven’t seen him.«  
While Youngjae downed the whole wine sip and silently ordered Jisung to fill the whole glass, Jaebeom tilted his head to the side. «Are you sure?«  
«I would’ve remembered such a handsome face«, was Jisung’s immediate answer. He could hear a soft rumbling noise in the chamber and a snort, immediately ramming his knee into the bar to cover the sounds. Jinyoung flinched, Jaebeom narrowed his eyes and Youngjae just continued drinking the wine Jisung had just poured him.

«Are you…alright?«, asked Jinyoung, his voice actually laced with worry. Jisung nodded, forcing himself to swallow the urge to shout at that dumb warlock in his little secret chamber.   
«Yes. I’m fine, it was a long day, I’m sorry.«

Even before Jinyoung could answer anything, Youngjae slammed the glass down in one swift motion, everyone turning their heads to stare at him in total confusion. «…This is the best wine I’ve ever had. And that warlock really is handsome. He would’ve remembered him if he actually would’ve met him. Let’s go.«

Jaebeom sighed. «…Ever thought about the fact that he could hide somewhere in here?«  
Jisung bit his lip unconsciously. This Jaebeom needed to leave right now, he was way too analyzing.   
«He just gave me wine for free. He would never lie to us…«, Youngjae mumbled. His clear voice and words were gone – he was definitely drunk _(and who ever said anything about the wine being for free?!)_.

Jinyoung sighed – it was the first time Jisung ever saw him doing anything else than smiling calmly or friendly. «Okay, I think we’re done here«, he grabbed something out of the inner pockets of his cloak and gave Jisung a couple of goldens and a dark green whistle, «This is for the drinks. The whistle is for you to use, just in case you’d see that warlock somewhere. Or if you need help with anything – I promise you we’ll be there immediately.«

The host could barely answer anything before they all stood up, Jaebeom holding Youngjae’s arm to make sure he wouldn’t trip or fall down. «Actually, Jinyoung will be there. It’s his whistle. So make good use of it, do you hear me?«

Jisung nodded and stared at the goldens, realizing that it was way too much for two glasses of water and a wine. They were all out the door though with simple «Thank you.«

The very second the door slammed shut, Jisung felt the door from his secret chamber hit his leg. He winced and turned around, facing the warlock who was seated between several bottles and boxes.   
«Why in the name of Ranera would a host need frog eyes?!«, he complained and totally ignored Jisung’s glare while he was rubbing his hurting side.   
«I’m a magic potion expert, you said it yourself!« - «You also said that you don’t want anything to do with magic and that you couldn’t use it!«, the sorcerer argued and made the host shut up immediately. He hissed and turned around to leave the backside of the bar, his mood totally done for today.

«I just saved your sorry ass from dying so how about you mind your own business and just get the hell out of my pub already!«, technically spoken, Jisung didn’t had to be so aggressive and unfriendly.

Yet, his night had been anything but peaceful and all he wanted to do right now was fall asleep already and forget about lying to guards from Atror.  
The warlock finally stepped out of the chamber, a bottle with greenish liquid in his hand. He didn’t seem offended or even bothered by the host’s words at all, rather than just unfazed.   
«This chamber looked like you didn’t open it in years. Next time your hiding someone, please clean the room in advance«, he patted his dusty shoulders and took the cloak off, shaking it free of dust and webs. «I’m glad though there weren’t any spiders. I would’ve passed out.«

Jisung stared at him, trying not to laugh or smirk at the spider calmly sitting on his shoulder like it didn’t have a care in the world. At every other situation, he would’ve just flicked it away without the person ever noticing there was a spider to begin with. But to be honest, this warlock had been nothing but disrespectful and annoying since the first fucking breath he took in Jisung’s pub. Which was why he let his eyes dart between the sorcerer’s face and his shoulder very obvious.   
The warlock stopped in his movement of dusting his right arm, following Jisung’s gaze with his head and staring at the spider sitting on his shoulder without saying anything for a solid five seconds. At least until his whole body froze and he aggressively threw his cloak away, running around the attire in a panicked manner and shouting while doing so.

The host couldn’t stop himself from laughing, his whole day seemingly having a whole turn to end really fucking great anyways. He stepped forward and stopped the warlock by grabbing his arm after enjoying his sweet time though, silently flicking the spider off his shoulder and forcing him to sit down on a chair (mainly because he looked like he was about to actually pass out). Jisung went to take the spider and brought it outside, a good few meters away from his house so it wouldn’t just walk right back inside. When he closed the door behind him and turned to look at the warlock (silently hoping he would’ve just ran away by now, which, of course, did not happen), he was still sitting on the chair, his face pale and eyes lifelessly staring at no particular point in the air. If Jisung didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that someone stole his soul.

«Hey, are you alright? It’s just a spider, it can’t hurt you«, he said, slightly concerned about cloak-guy actually passing out (and of course, mainly concerned about having to give him a proper bed to rest in until he woke up). The warlock snapped out of his trance, accusingly pointing a finger at Jisung as if he cursed him with bad luck, «How come you never cleaned that chamber?! And by the way, spiders can bite!«

Jisung rolled his eyes, «First of all, the spider wouldn’t have had the chance to bite you, even if it would’ve wanted to do so, because you were jumping and running around like someone injected you a hyper potion. And secondly, I already told you; mind your own damn business.«

They both stared at each other for a few silent seconds, the silence being broken by the warlock’s frustrated groan. «Okay! I won’t ask any more questions regarding your chamber or whatever the hell is tied to your personal life! But can I please stay for the night?«  
«I’m starting to feel like you’re really retarded, I literally just lied to three highly gifted guards from Atror! And, again, this is not an inn, this is a pub!«, Jisung answered. He grabbed the greenish liquid bottle (which the warlock securely put down on the table before freaking out because of a damn spider) and went to hide it back inside his secret chamber again. He knew the warlock followed his steps but tried to ignore him by simply continuing to close his shop – just like he wanted to do almost thirty minutes ago.

«Please! Only for tonight! I can’t go out there while I’m powerless and I really don’t want them to find me! You won’t have to see me ever again!«, the warlock begged and followed Jisung through the whole process of cleaning up the remaining glasses and tables. The host started putting the chairs onto the tables so he could clean the floor afterwards, not giving two damn cares about the warlock.

Or his ridiculously annoying whines.

Seriously, he wouldn’t stop whining until Jisung filled the bucket with water, ready to clean his beloved ground. He groaned, turned around to face the warlock and almost knocked their heads together while doing so, glaring at the not really existing distance the two of them held. «Okay. Shut up, please, for the love of Ranera. Shut. Up. You can stay one night, and only _one night_. You’re gone by seven o’clock, so my day won’t get influenced by you, understood?«

The warlock visibly relaxed and smiled, his round eyes almost shining with how happy he seemed to be, so that he almost didn’t seem to care about the broom Jisung just made him catch. «You might as well help me, considering I’ll literally let you stay at my house.«

\-----

The next morning came way too fast and once Jisung’s magical clock woke him up, he already dreaded the day to come. He almost forgot about the warlock on the loose, peacefully sleeping a few meters away from him on his favorite reading couch, his body wrapped inside two fluffy blankets. Jisung considered pranking him but refrained from doing so. Instead, he walked inside his little bathroom and started doing his morning routine. He was surprised to walk out of the bathroom to a very welcoming scent of scrambled eggs.

His feet dragged him downstairs, a towel still rubbing his wet hair. In all honesty, living alone for almost fifteen years made Jisung forget how incredibly good it felt to greet someone first things first in the morning. Not like he actually said, _‘Good morning’_, but he couldn’t stop his inner self from cooing at the sight in front of him, his heart clenching at the pure realization that after this weird warlock finally left him, he’ll be alone again. 

The warlock turned around in Jisung’s kitchen, two plates of freshly made breakfast in his hands. The host let his eyes wander off to the table, not remembering the last time he actually sat down and ate breakfast. He risked a short glance at his clock, calculating how much time he had left to go do some grocery shopping before he’d have to open up. It was half past six and he couldn’t even kick the warlock out because first of all, he told him he could stay until 7am and secondly; _he made breakfast_.

Jisung hated to admit it, but he enjoyed sitting down at his table filled with two plates and glasses of milk.

«I didn’t know what I was allowed to use so I just went with scrambled eggs since you had the most eggs…«, the warlock muttered and smiled again. Jisung wasn’t so sure what he should think about those smiles he kept giving him ever since the host agreed to let him stay for the night. He almost wanted to say that the warlock acted totally out of character. But then again, Jisung didn’t know him long enough to judge that and also didn’t really feel like his smiles were out of character to begin with. He almost seemed kind of shy, which was ridiculous after what kind of show he pulled off last night. There was absolutely no doubt that the warlock indeed was able to act bitchy.

Good to know that Jisung wouldn’t have to discover all of his other personality traits because he’d be gone in approximately 27 minutes.

«It’s fine, I usually don’t eat breakfast so make yourself a home«, Jisung didn’t know why he just said that, it wasn’t like the warlock could actually do so. Instead of an answer, he heard a soft clinking and raised his head to see that the warlock put down a little muffle bag of what Jisung guessed to be goldens. He raised an eyebrow, «What do you think I’d want with that?«  
«You let me stay here, so I’ll pay you. That’s just fair«, the warlock answered and, once again, smiled a hearty smile. Almost as if the two of them knew each other for years now.

Jisung eyed the goldens and lazily pushed them back towards his guest, filling his fork with scrambled eggs instead, «I already told you about two times that this is a pub not an inn. I can’t accept money for a business I do not have.«  
«You lied for me« - «Doesn’t matter anymore.«

There were another few moments of utter silence in which Jisung decided to take a bite from his breakfast – and holy freakin’ freckles, they tasted amazing. As far as scrambled eggs could actually taste amazing but they were perfect. It was such a simple dish, probably didn’t really take more than fifteen minutes for the warlock to make. Still, the amount of salt was perfect, something sweet grazing the eggs as some sort of hidden spice and the texture was just as good as the taste. But not only that, it tasted warm. Like home. Something Jisung forgot how it tastes a long time ago.

No need to get sentimental though.

«Has your magic restored…?«, he asked once he swallowed the (best) scrambled eggs (he had ever had). The warlock simply shook his head, «Nope. Why would you think so?«

_Oh, just because your breakfast tastes like some five-star menu and you don’t necessarily look like some gifted cook_, Jisung thought. He didn’t say that though and proceeded to eat his food. His eyes shifted onto the clock again and he stopped functioning for a few seconds. They were talking, eating and discussing and even though it felt like hours, Jisung was sure as hell that it had to be something around a quarter to seven now. But it wasn’t. He frowned and stood up, tapping his clock in an attempt to see if it’s broken or not. All of a sudden, the clock hands started spinning around and Jisung stepped back in utter shock. «Huh?«, he gasped and within the next second, he felt his whole world spinning around.

To be quite honest, Jisung knew that this was some kind of spell and that – for whatever reason he knew that – the warlock in his house was not the one casting it. The sudden spinning stopped just as abruptly as it started and instead of his clock, he now stood in front of a young man with braces and narrow eyes which kind of reminded him of a fox. Jisung’s eyes followed up to the man’s head, his hair a soft brownish-red color and a red beret on it. His nose was pointy, his skin delicate and shiny, almost as if he reflected the light in Jisung’s dimly lit kitchen/dining room.

His voice was just as soft and relatively high as the host expected it to sound, he guessed the kid wasn’t much older than maybe eighteen. «Hyung! I’ve been looking for you all around the continent!«, he said and pointed an accusing finger on the warlock still sitting at the table.

Jisung had a few questions – first of all, who was this guy. Secondly; how the hell did this kid manage to just magically jump into his house? Not like Jisung wasn’t aware of the daily magic happening in Ifith but he read enough about magic to know that teleportation spells require a certain amount of skill and knowledge. Which, he would bet his whole pub on it, this kid did _not_ have.

The warlock sighed and stood up, his face clearly showing that he wasn’t exactly happy about the boy’s sudden appearance. Yet, he didn’t seem shocked at all, «Jeongin, what did I tell you about teleportation? You always lose control!«

That’s when Jisung saw it – the tail. But not just a cat tail or something like that, oh no. A fox tail. Not one, or two. But nine.

And that’s exactly how Jisung’s daily morning routine of going grocery shopping at 7am got interrupted by a cute nine-tailed fox and a wanted warlock on the loose.

Jisung knew, just like he felt it in his gut yesterday, that this day was going to be a very long day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Jeongin is here! I love him, can we please appreciate this uwu  
Why is he a nine-tailed fox? I have NO idea.


	3. imbroglio potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to say thank you for you guys reading this story uwu  
Also, I figures since I use a lot of Latin words, I should translate them XD
> 
> So 'imbroglio' is confusion. And later that chapter, there's a word called 'originem', which means origin :3
> 
> Have fun reading! <3

**Imbroglio potion; **   
**let’s be honest with each other – this potion is just as ridiculous as useless. People who want other people confused usually go to whatever sorcerer is nearest. But okay, if you want to know how to mix this potion, I guess you didn’t just accidentally open this page. Usually, this is the cleanest page though (since no one reads it). You might want to wear a gas mask or something while mixing this potion or you’ll see the effects of it before you pulled your prank on whoever was supposed to get confused by this mixture…**   
**We are not liable for any injuries...**

In all of his 20 years of living, nothing could’ve prepared Jisung for a wanted warlock and a cute fox, both sitting at his table. In his house. Above his pub. At 6:45am. After staring at the boy who suddenly appeared in front of Jisung for almost five minutes, the warlock decided to _‘sit down and talk’._ Jisung wasn’t so sure why he agreed to it, but the warlock already sat back down with the fox-boy before the host could even think of denying anything. Not like they talked at all.

And here they were now – silence creeping up into the room.

Jisung and the warlock were eating their food, no one saying anything, while fox-boy stared at the host for at least ten minutes now. He decided to stop munching on his food and faced the cute boy, not sure if he should be annoyed or coo at him, «Do you…want to eat something?«  
The fox continued to stare for another few seconds before smiling the brightest smile Jisung had ever seen and it would’ve erased every doubt Jisung had if it wasn’t for the warlock’s annoying, little snort, «No, thanks. I can’t eat human food…unfortunately. But I was thinking, you look like a squirrel when you’re eating!«

The statement caught Jisung off-guard, his eyes widening at the words and if it wasn’t for his reflexes, he would’ve choked on his milk, «Uhm…thanks…I guess…?«  
Another snort made him glare at the warlock. «What are you laughing at? If I’m seeing this right, you have twelve minutes left before I want you both out of my house«, Jisung said and watched as the smug grin on the warlock’s face faded, as if it never existed in the first place.

«You’re oddly calm, considering there’s a nine-tailed fox right next to you«, the warlock grumbled, obviously trying to offend Jisung in some way. The host shrugged and swallowed the last bite of his breakfast, tasting whatever wonder ingredients the warlock mixed in there for the last time. He was certain he would never ever eat anything as good as this for free ever again in his hopefully long and boring life. «I don’t really care about you two because I’ll never have to talk to you ever again after you’re gone, and I can act like I never met you in the first place.«

Fox-boy pouted and Jisung almost felt bad for his harsh words, «Meeting someone means knowing their names, right Hyung?« He obviously talked to the warlock, who took a sip from his milk and nodded his head in silent approval. «Yes. That’s true. You haven’t actually met us yet.«

Jisung forced himself not to sigh, «I see you two. I’m talking to you two. You’re literally eating with me. I think the moment we met each other passed a long time ago!«  
«Ridiculous, I didn’t even introduce myself properly!«, the warlock said, a smug grin on his face as he set down his glass as well. The host stood up with a sigh and started to collect their plates. «Thank you but I don’t ca-…« - «The name’s Minho. Lee Minho.«

The groan that escaped Jisung’s lips made him curse internally. He spared another glance at his clock, saying it was 6:56am. Four minutes. Four minutes left and he could kick them both out without having to feel bad for it because that was their agreement. That was the deal. One night until 7am.

«I’ll just pretend you didn’t say anything«, Jisung grumbled and went to wash the dishes. He could hear the warlock standing up (his brain refused to call him by name), knowing perfectly well that he now stood right next to him, a towel in his hand. «It’s not like my name’s cursed or something like that«, he said and Jisung could see his pout.

«It’s not about your name being cursed«, he answered and reluctantly gave him the first plate he successfully washed clean, «It’s about me, lying to the royal guards and you, running away from them. So I’d like to know as little about you as possible.«  
Jisung almost dropped his glass when Jeongin suddenly appeared on his other side, a pout as cute and tempting as an angel’s on his lips, «Do you hate creatures like me? Or warlocks? Because of the things people say about us?«

This caught him off-guard. There were a lot of people who had no idea about creatures like Jeongin or warlocks in general. Most of them were just being told the wrong stories from their parents. It’s like every other typical bad creature legend all mothers told their children to make them behave; _‘you wouldn’t want the dark warlock to come and get you’_ or _‘you don’t want me to tell the nine-tailed fox, don’t you’_. It’s like telling your kid to behave or else the monster under their bed would come get them. Jisung’s mother refrained from saying such things to her son – she always said that he should discover the world by himself and make his own choices on whom to trust and whom not. Given the fact that both, he and his mother, are magic potion makers, Jisung probably was the last person to judge Jeongin and his warlock friend for what they are.  
«It’s not like you guys could choose what you were born as. And besides, my mother was executed for being a magic potion expert«, he answered and tried to ignore Jeongin’s shocked expression.

While he handed the warlock the last plate to dry off, he cleaned the sink and turned the water off, a sigh leaving his lips. «I’m so sorry«, Jeongin mumbled, «I didn’t know about your mother…but I knew you smelled different…«  
He _smelled_ different. That’s a first. Jisung was thankful for Jeongin’s smooth change of topic, even if it wasn’t exactly intended. «I smell different?«

Jeongin’s eyes seemed to shine up once Jisung asked more about his ability. He imagined it hard for such a young boy (he guessed Jeongin was a rather young fox, even though they were said to live over a thousand years), when the society just hated him for no real reason other than folklore and myths. Which was why he decided to ignore the time for now and let him talk so his excited smile would linger for a little longer.  
«Nine-tailed foxes have a really good nose. There’s a difference between human scent, sorcerer scent and creature scents – and there are hundreds of different variations! Minho smells like berries and wood! It’s just his natural scent but also the signature notes of every warlock. You though…you smell a lot like vanilla. Or a really light patchouli scent.« The way Jeongin talked about scents made Jisung’s head spin. Somehow, his train of thoughts stopped at the information about the warlock’s scent. He suddenly wondered if he was able to smell the wood too or if his nose wasn’t good enough for that.

Patchouli though made a lot of sense. When Jisung was younger, they used to live next to a half-wolf. He was a nice rather old man the town didn’t know about his wolf-half. He also used to say that their house smelled a lot like patchouli, a sweet and light mixture of oriental scents. Jisung barely remembered the day he saw the man for the last time before he suddenly disappeared. His mother told him he had to move because of his family back then. Today though he knew, that someone told the temple about their neighbour being a hybrid and they executed him for lying to the goddess.  
«Well…I guess my scent is patchouli then«, Jisung said with a small smile and had to refrain himself from taking his beret off and ruffling the boy’s hair. Jeongin’s smile grew wider.

«Are we becoming friends with our sweet Jeongin?«, the warlock said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Jisung glared at him. This guy truly knew how to destroy a peaceful moment. He stopped himself from saying anything mean though and proceeded to walk down the stairs to the pub itself, knowing that he was late in his schedule for ten minutes. «I really have to go now. You can use the back door to get away from here. I never saw you and you never saw me. Okay?«

He didn’t intend to sound so forward and stressed – but Jisung really wasn’t used to wanted warlocks and nine-tailed foxes lingering around his house in secret. He tried staying away from magic as good as possible. While the host prepared his bag and some money for the market, his two guests (?) seemed to discuss their escape route. Jisung didn’t really care and therefore didn’t listen.  
«I have one last question before we go«, the warlock said and Jisung turned around to face them. He nodded slowly and waited for him to continue, «…let’s suppose you’re the long-awaited hero of some really twisted legend. Would you risk everything…even your loved ones…to play that role? To be that hero?«

Jisung frowned. That was a weird question. But he forced himself to actually think about it and tried to come up with the best answer he could think of, «I believe that our life isn’t bound to one future. That our destiny can be changed; as long as we really want to do so.«

They stared at each other for only a few seconds, but it felt like hours to be honest. Jisung completely lost himself in the warlock’s eyes, the dark chocolate brown slightly flickering with sprinkles of a beautiful and deep magenta. Once he nodded though, their staring contest stopped and whatever the hell happened between them was gone. «Thank you…«, he finally said and bowed his head in a respectful manner (almost like he actually had some sort of manners, Jisung was shocked), and then turned around to Jeongin. «Okay! Let’s go Jeongin, we have a mission to do!«

Jeongin smiled brightly, swirled around in total excitement and nodded quickly, a whirl of sparkles and bright orange light emitting from around him. Jisung’s eyes caught the clock on his wall again, seeing as the clock hands were spinning backwards again. The last thing he saw before his guests (?) disappeared into thin air were Jeongin’s bright green fox eyes and Minho’s calm smile.

Jisung didn’t know if the warlock thanked him for his answer earlier or for the sofa he could sleep on last night.

\-----

Something was seriously weird.

Jisung felt it, he knew that something was off. A week had passed since his adventurous twelve hours in which he met royal guards, a wanted warlock and a nine-tailed fox. And ever since they disappeared, something felt…off. He couldn’t quite grasp it, maybe he just started to get paranoid. But Jisung couldn’t sleep well, his usual days suddenly started to annoy him. He really didn’t know how, but when he woke up three days ago, there was a fully and perfectly made truth potion chilling on his kitchen table. It wasn’t new to him that he sleep-walked and talked, sometimes had weird dreams with no actual message behind them. He always had that, an after effect from his (given really weak) magical power. When he was a child, he even got up during night and went outside to the woods to get ingredients for difficult or even forbidden potions. It was dangerous for him to do so, not only because no one knew about him, being a magic potion maker. Which was why his parents asked a wizard to help them create a potion that would stop Jisung’s weird night behaviour.

He had to mix and drink that specifically for him developed potion once every month. It was practically the only potion Jisung still used his ingredients and pot for. Before you think he forgot it this month or didn’t do it the way he should – he did. But somehow, he felt like it didn’t…work.

Jisung knew something was off though when another three days passed, and he didn’t hear a single word from Seungmin. It was Saturday and his best friend didn’t show up the whole week. It wasn’t weird that he didn’t visit him – sometimes, that happened. But Seungmin usually send a message or asked his friends who were on duty to tell him about why he couldn’t visit this week. But there was nothing. No letter, no priests, no Seungmin. To say Jisung was worried was an understatement.

Maybe he really was paranoid, in combination with his lack of sleep and hurting muscles from obviously wandering around at night without even being awake. But it really wasn’t like Seungmin to just not say anything. The problem was; Jisung couldn’t just knock on the temples door and ask them about Seungmin. His parents didn’t exactly like him (for various reasons) and Jisung knew little to nothing about praying. So he couldn’t even act like he wanted to pray to Ranera or something like that.

His gut felt weird. Like something was about to happen. Like something really, really wasn’t…right.

Sundays were the worst days for Jisung. People had their free days and usually came to his pub to linger around and do stuff. There wasn’t one free second to spend on something else than orders and preparing things. On days like this, Jisung wished he would be social enough to finally meet some more people than just Seungmin and hire some help. The problem though was – he had absolutely no money to pay that person and apart from a few other occasions, he didn’t really need it anyways. So instead, he remained the only working person in his pub and tried surviving the day on his own.

It was nearing five in the evening when the little bell at his door rung, people whispering and gasping. Jisung – who was just about to finish a soup for an order – turned his head and got a glimpse of three familiar faces marching towards the bar. He thought he would never have to see the three guards ever again. To say Jisung was nervous was an understatement. Maybe, they were just hungry. But even if they didn’t suspect him of lying (which he obviously did), he would have to be extremely careful; his nightly walks and weird potion making sleepwalking made his magic obvious, even if he barely had any. Those guards were gifted with incredible power and if they would touch him in some way, they would definitely figure out that something was wrong with him.

The host forced himself to smile as calm as possible, «Welcome back. I’ll be there in a few seconds, just need to finish this order first.«  
Jinyoung nodded with his usual polite smile and Jisung took those few remaining minutes to calm himself down and prepare for every possible situation to come. Maybe, just maybe, he also sent a really bad prayer to Ranera and wished for them to just be hungry and nothing else. Once he finally stood behind the bar and in front of the guards again, he asked them about what they wanted to eat or drink.

Jaebeom cleared his voice and said, «Well…we actually wanted to ask you a question-…«  
«I’d like a chicken soup«, Youngjae interrupted his friend again and totally ignored Jaebeom’s annoyed expression. «And a glass of water please.«  
Jisung filled a bowl with the freshly brewed soup and placed it in front of Youngjae with a smile, listening to Jaebeom again while filling a glass of water. Jaebeom sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing, «…Like I said. We have another question for you. It’s not about the warlock anymore though.«

«I guess, considering you didn’t use my whistle, you didn’t see him…right?«, Jinyoung butted in. Jisung shook his head as an answer and placed the water next to Youngjae as well, trying not to be shocked by how fast he already ate half of the soup. Something about Jinyoung’s smile was off setting, like he didn’t ask because he was curious but because he suspected Jisung to lie. The host quickly shook that thought away, «I’ll try to answer your question, if I can.«

Jaebeom shot a subtle glare towards Youngjae, the other though not noticing while drinking what seemed like the rest of his soup out of the bowl. «Actually…it has nothing to do with something we should investigate in. But we heard from people at the market that you are friends with a priest from the nearby temple. And we’re quite worried about them. When we wanted to enter for a questioning, no one opened up…«

That was indeed weird. Jisung knew for a fact that royal guards from the holy kingdom were allowed to step into every temple – they got direct orders from the highest priest, the second most powerful person right after Ranera herself. It was weird for a temple to not let them in. Apart from the fact that those royal guards obviously didn’t get inside a holy temple, there was something else bothering Jisung; they were worried about the priests. Just like Jisung was worried about Seungmin.  
«…My friend usually visits me once a week. But he didn’t show up this week, not even sent a message to let me know why he couldn’t do so. I’m also worried about him because that’s really weird. I can’t tell you why either«, the host said while shaking his head and passively grabbing a napkin for Youngjae, who was just about to wipe his face with the edges of as it seemed Jinyoung’s cloak.

Jinyoung gasped offended and slapped Youngjae’s shoulder with a disgusted grunt and an angry glare before saying, «…We think something happened. Would you have an idea…what?«  
Jisung let his head remember the conversation he had about some fire message from the goddess herself. A warning, as Seungmin had said, no one considered important enough to take seriously.

Right when the host wanted to open his mouth to answer the guards, a loud noise made all of the people inside the pub shut up immediately. It almost sounded like something exploded, the whole ground was shaking and for a second Jisung thought his old house would fall apart for good.  
Once the shaking stopped and the echo of whatever made noise died down, silence took over. Even the birds and chickens outside weren’t making sounds anymore, it was just dead quiet.  
«…What was that…?«, Jisung mumbled, more to himself than someone else. He didn’t expect an answer and didn’t get one either. Instead, there was a loud scream somewhere outside.

The royal guards stood up in an instant running outside to a completely foggy world. It had been raining for a few days now and it already started to get a little bit dark outside, autumn knocking on summer’s door. But the fog was new and Jisung didn’t feel good about it.

He watched as Jinyoung slowly took a ring off his finger, the metal thing suddenly glowing golden and transforming itself into some sort of magical sceptre. Whatever happened to that woman screaming outside, it was silent again. At least until suddenly, a shadowy figure dashed through the fog and directly inside the pub. Jinyoung was just a second too slow to hit it but before any of the guards could turn around and handle it, those shadow things were everywhere and rushed around outside like animals, trying to catch their prey. Jisung never experienced chaos, but now, he did; people started screaming, trying to get away from the shadow as fast as possible and out of the pub.

Jisung felt it before he saw it – the magical presence of whatever the hell was currently standing inside his pub. It was dark. But not just dark in a magical sense – Jisung actually felt like throwing up, his insides twisting at the mere thought of touching that…_thing_. It was evil. He felt it.  
He could hear the people running around and shouting their beloved names outside, the royal guards all gone somewhere within the thickness of the fog. And Jisung was left in his pub, frozen to no movement in an attempt to act like that shadow creature didn’t see or notice him. He knew, somewhere in his subconsciousness, that the thing saw him. But he still couldn’t move. Jisung stared at it – it didn’t seem like that thing had a real form. It looked like a hell hound to be quite honest, it’s body though constantly moving like a mixture of water and smoke and it’s eyes glowing in a bright red. He could hear it breathing, like a wolf targeting it’s prey.  
Jisung was honestly not sure if he wanted to scream or run away or both or just die because why not.

His heart was beating rapidly – he was sure that if Jeongin would’ve been here, the fox-boy would’ve heard it. Jisung thought about what to do. Even if he would’ve thought of taking that whistle with him Jinyoung gave him, he couldn’t use it now; the guard was somewhere out there, trying to fight those…things off. He was not a good fighter – how should he be, Jisung never had to defend himself against anything, let alone an evil shadow beast.

He decided that standing there wasn’t his best idea. Which was why Jisung did what was easiest; he took a deep breath and swallowed his insecurities, before grabbing the next item he could grasp and throwing it at the thing. To his surprise, the monster was shocked by the sudden attack and left Jisung enough time to jump over his bar and up the stairs towards his bedroom. When he heard the deep growl of that thing and fast steps behind him, he suddenly wished he would’ve been training his endurance more than just his physical strength.

Jisung didn’t exactly know what he was doing when he just so managed to shut the door to his bedroom before that thing ran against it with a loud thud. He also didn’t know what he expected to happen – maybe that the door would burst or that the thing would start trying to break through it. But instead, it was dead silent on the other side. Jisung almost thought it disappeared and went to shred someone else apart; but then, he saw it. How there was a shadow smoothly running through the thin space between door and floor, like water. The host swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped back until his back hit the balcony door. His eyes stayed glued on the shadow beast which just so materialized itself again – like it was totally normal for shadows to run around like damn animals.

Jisung grit his teeth, opened the door to his balcony and slid it back shut once he stood outside.  
Great, just great. Now he stood on his foggy balcony, no one there to save him, no one there to hear him. He tried ignoring the beast in his bedroom for a few seconds and listened to what was going on around his house. He could hear countless growls of those things and above all, people shouting, crying out for help or their beloved ones. A thud made him turn his attention to the thing in his bedroom again. There was no way he would survive this day.

He risked glancing down to the ground he couldn’t see due to the fog around him, dread spreading in his body. Even if he’d survive trying to climb down his balcony, he would definitely die while trying to defend himself from those things out there. He couldn’t use magic and he couldn’t even use a weapon to fight them. Jisung was…well, fucked.

«You don’t actually consider jumping down there, right?«, he heard a familiar silky voice say and whipped his head around to his roof. On his roof, like there was absolutely nothing going on, stood the warlock. Jisung honestly forgot his name. But his eyes got a glimpse of a few fox tails and then Jeongin’s head popped up behind the sorcerer. His usual bubbly smile was gone, instead he looked dead serious, «Hyung! Stop playing around with him, we should really hurry up!«

Jisung blinked, confusion evident on his face. Just when he was about to answer, he heard another thud against the glass of the balcony door and the glass started to split. Minho jumped down from his roof, Jeongin following them while subtly glaring at the shadow thing.  
«I’m perfectly fine…«, Jisung mumbled, flinching when the thing ran against the glass again. Minho laughed mockingly. «You considered jumping down to escape the hellhound. But okay, he just said it himself Jeongin. Let’s go-…!«  
«Hyung!«, the nine-tailed fox shrilled and within the next second, the glass finally seemed to crack. Jisung and Jeongin both prepared for their death, closing their eyes. But nothing happened.

Instead, the host heard a soft snort and a light snapping. When he dared opening his eyes again, the shadow thing was frozen in the air. Minho dusted his hands off, almost like he just worked eight hours. «Okay. It’s paralyzed for a few seconds. Jeongin, we should hurry.«

Jisung couldn’t even try to say anything, before they all grabbed each other’s hands, Jeongin closing his eyes and words leaving his lips fast in a melodic chant. Orange light emitted around them, the world seemingly starting to spin because of how hard it started winding around them.

The last thing Jisung heard was Jeongin’s shocked gasp and a low growl before everything around him got swallowed up in a swirl of orange light and spinning stars.

\-----

A soft coughing sound made Jisung stir in his slumber, his head pounding and his memories a whirlwind of thoughts. He needed a few seconds to orientate himself, his hands subtly recognizing something rather wet and rough. His eyes fluttered open and he needed a few seconds to adjust and focus on something.

He needed another few seconds to finally realize where he was. Or rather they. His body rested on top of Minho he could hear the steady heartbeat through the thin layer of clothes. Around them were a bunch of trees and some fog, it wasn’t as prominent here as it was inside the town though. His memories finally fit together like a puzzle piece, his head remembering how Jeongin chanted a teleportation spell before…  
Yeah? What happened then?

Jisung grunted and wanted to stand up, his body though seemed to lack the strength. He could hear Minho bite back a grunt as well when Jisung’s body went limb on top of the sorcerer again instead of standing up like he intended to. «Could you…do me a favour. And try not to move for another few minutes? I’m almost healed.«

The host would’ve turned his head to look up at Minho, but he couldn’t. Instead, he remained still and tried speaking up, his voice was hoarse. «What…happened?«  
«The hellhound escaped my time spell«, Minho answered shortly, «It must’ve hit Jeongin. Hence why we’re separated from him somewhere in a wood.«

«…Do you think…he’s hurt?«, Jisung mumbled quietly. He felt bad for even thinking such a thing even though he barely knew Jeongin.  
Minho coughed again, «He probably got hurt the worst since he was the one initiating the teleportation…«  
Jisung could barely answer when Minho suddenly sat up, securely holding the host by his shoulder so he won’t slip off. It wasn’t exactly something the host considered ever happening to him – sitting on a warlock’s lap after almost dying. Frankly, he couldn’t do anything against it, his muscles still sore from…well…actually, he didn’t really know why.  
«Your body really is almost like a human body. I knew about your magical defect, but I didn’t think you’d react so drastically…«, Minho mumbled, a warm hand leaving Jisung’s shoulder and softly pressing against his heart. Warmth spread through his body and a shiver ran down his spine, his breath caught in his throat. Jisung never felt such strong magic anywhere near his body, let alone directly over his heart. He took a deep breath and stared into Minho’s eyes. They were once again sprinkled with a soft layer of magenta. «What do you mean by that…?«

«Humans aren’t made for magic. Just like sorcerers aren’t made to live without magic. Your body is torn between both«, he explained, the hand rubbing soft circles into Jisung’s boring, favourite white T-Shirt. «Your body is trying to handle the amount of magic it had been going through. Which is why you can’t move right now…« A soft smile tugged on Minho’s lips as he stopped explaining for a few seconds, an enchantment Jisung didn’t understand leaving his mouth in a soft whisper. It sounded soothing, familiar to his ears. Like a lullaby. Jisung allowed the warmth of the spell inside, closing his eyes for a second. He totally forgot that he actually didn’t really know Minho and that his life probably fell apart within one day. Within a few minutes.  
«Why did you come to save me? You and Jeongin?«, he asked, his voice not as rough anymore.

Minho finished the enchantment first before slowly focusing on Jisung again, his eyes still glowing in a soft magenta. «I just…had a bad feeling about Orlon. I knew something wasn’t right. I felt it in my bones. Had weird dreams. And besides…«, he stopped talking, seemingly thinking about what to say before finally continuing, «…you helped me. Without wanting anything for it…«  
Jisung would’ve laughed loudly if it wasn’t for the pain in his chest, which was why he breathed out air softly and snickered instead, «You threatened to expose me as a magic potion expert if I wouldn’t help you.«  
«Yeah, I’m sorry about that«, Minho laughed an awkward, almost shameful laugh. Like he regretted his decisions, «I…I’m not used to people like you. The society hates my guts. You would’ve happily let me chew on a chicken if I would’ve been a normal customer even though you knew from the beginning that I was a warlock. Same with Jeongin. You treated him like a friend…and not like some weird animal or a monster. I guess you could say…I wanted to save you, because you deserved it…?«

Jisung didn’t know what he should say. It didn’t seem like that was all, but Minho didn’t say anything else. So they remained silent for the following few minutes in which Jisung could feel the energy returning to his body. When he finally felt like he could stand up again, a sigh left his lips. The warlock took his hand away and helped Jisung standing up, seemingly ready to catch him just in case he would fall again. The host didn’t though and they both dusted their clothes off. He felt dirty, the woods being wet from the rain. It was dawn as it seemed, the sun was barely able to shine through the thick clouds above.  
«Do you have any idea where we are?«, Minho said, obviously not knowing the woods around Orlon. Jisung looked around and spotted the tower of the temple a few kilometres away from them. «We’re not far from Orlon. Probably somewhere in the middle of the east wood…«

Minho sighed and crossed his arms. «Okay. First things first; we need to find Jeongin. He can’t be far away from here since we were traveling through space with him.«  
Jisung nodded but didn’t really understand much about what happened. The warlock asked Jisung about where he thought Orlon would be and they started walking towards that direction. The fog got thicker with every step they took towards the town. Jisung never experienced something like that, he could barely make out where he stepped. «Do you have any idea what happened?«, he asked.  
«In all honesty; no«, Minho answered and waited for Jisung to lead the way. «Before I ran away from the prison, there were many things going on in the holy kingdom. Goddess Ranera was acting weird, sending messages to the temples. There is something going on between heaven and hell, I’m telling you that. This fog is magical – it started spreading like a decease after that gigantic thing striking from above.«

Jisung was confused. It seemed like Minho wasn’t just a wanted warlock on the loose, but also a citizen from the holy kingdom. He decided to spare some of his questions for later, focusing on the more important things right now, «I can’t remember what happened before Jeongin finished the incantation.«  
«My spell was supposed to hold the hellhound for at least one minute. But it didn’t; it seems like I underestimated that shitty thing. When Jeongin finished the incantation for the teleportation, the hellhound freed itself from my time spell and lunged at him. I shot a defensive light spell at him before it could actually travel with us. I let go of Jeongin’s hand while doing so though which is why we were separated from him.«

Jisung made a mental note to read a book about teleportation, time and space once this was all over. Before he could answer anything though, his eyes got a glimpse of something laying on the ground a few meters away from them. He squinted his eyes and gasped, tugging at Minho’s cloak, «There! Minho, it’s Jeongin!«  
The warlock followed his gaze and they both ran the last few meters towards the boy. Jisung tried not to gasp at the sight; the nine-tailed fox was laying in a pool of blood, his face pale and the orange-brown hair dull. His eyes were closed shut and every breath he took seemed to be a whole new pain.  
«Oh my god, Jeongin…«, Minho mumbled and they both leaned down to the boy. Jeongin winced and whimpered silently once the warlock touched him, his eyes fluttering open slightly. It seemed like he was still conscious but in a lot of pain. «Hyung…M-Master…I n-need H-Hyun-…«  
«Shh, I know. We’ll get him, I promise. But I need to reverse your human form…«, the warlock said and softly wiped a stray hair away from the boy’s forehead. Jeongin had tears in his eyes. Jisung honestly didn’t know where all the blood came from until he saw it – the marks on Jeongin’s left side. The wound prominent through his white clothes. Without thinking too much about it, the host took of his thin jacket and pressed it onto the wound, Jeongin wincing at the sudden contact but offering a weak thankful smile.

Minho nodded and pressed his hand against Jeongin’s heart, similar to how he did to Jisung earlier today. Jeongin hiccuped, the sight made Jisung’s heart clench. «I promise, I’ll take you to him. I swear you’ll see him again…«, the warlock said.  
Jeongin smiled and Minho’s hand started glowing in the same magenta as his eyes, a soft wind building up around them as the incantation left his lips, «_Born of magic and created by desire, I command you to reveal your true form, **originem**_.«

And just like that, the soft magenta glow swallowed Jeongin’s whole body, the boy shrinking to the size of a grown cat and instead of a human body, there was a bloody fox instead. Jisung swallowed the lump in his throat when Minho draped the jacket around the young fox’s wound like a bandage. Jeongin made a weak sound of pain when the warlock lifted him up. The nine-tailed fox indeed was young, just like he had suspected.

«We need to get to an abandoned temple so I can teleport us to his master«, Minho said and Jisung nodded thinking of their next destination. «There is an ancient temple, maybe two days by foot from here«, Jisung saw how Minho’s eyes lost a little light at his words and thought of a solution, his head thinking of the carriage the farmer at the border of Orlon had. He wasn’t fond of stealing but considering what was going on in Orlon today…let’s just say, Jisung didn’t exactly think the man was still alive. «I know how to get there fast, but we need to return to Orlon first for my plan to work out.«

And just like that, the small light of hope reappeared inside of Minho’s eyes.  
«Okay. Lead the way«, he said.


	4. velocity potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter turned out a little bit longer than expected lmao  
I hope you don't mind though uwu  
Thanks for reading and have fun! <33

**Velocity potion;  
Ever wanted to run as fast as you could? Well, I supposed you won’t actually use this potion unless you’re up for some exciting time. The velocity potion will allow you to run at high speed for exactly one hour. It’s difficult to control though so you might have to mix it a few times in order to practice how fast you’re actually running while you thought you’d only take a step forward. You should also remember to add the blue sage as the last ingredient or else-…  
Oh. Well, you’ll find out…**

It was dark outside when Jisung and Minho finally reached Orlon. The town, usually busy with working people, laughing of happy children and the noises of several animals, now was quiet. The silence hung over them like a thick layer of burdens. Even though the fog kind of went down, it was still really hard to see more than the things maybe two meters away from you. Jisung forced himself to ignore how different his hometown seemed. He used to live here all his life; all of his memories began here. He never would’ve thought that Miss Park’s cute little rabbit farm would ever be empty. Or that her friendly neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Liu and their lovely daughters, would ever be gone and nowhere to be seen or spread warmth while selling the homemade bread.

It was certainly not a good feeling, walking down those now empty and silent streets of Orlon. Jisung forced himself to concentrate, feeling Minho stop right beside him when he was about to turn the corner. The host swallowed the lump in his throat and continued walking.  
«…Are you alright?«, Minho asked, his voice sounded just as heavy and sorrowful as Jisung felt.  
He didn’t actually respond and glanced at the small primary school they had in their town for the kids usually running around the market place they stood right now. He didn’t know if Minho saw his subtle headshake of if he just chose to ignore it without saying anything else.

They were both trying to be silent, Jisung didn’t really know why though. «Could it be…that those hellhounds are still here?«  
Jisung tried not to flinch at the flickering of a broken magical light. They started going on one after another, usually after dawn ended and the moon started rising. But they were almost all broken or destroyed. Luckily, Jisung knew where to go, even within the barely helpful light.   
He could hear Minho breath steadily before he answered, «No. Hellhounds are fast and precise but not exactly genius. Whoever summoned them ordered them to do something and then disappear. They either did what they were sent for or went after it. I would’ve felt them though, if there were any left. No need to worry.«

It’s not like Jisung actually worried about getting attacked by one of those things again. He just asked the get rid of that heavy silence to be honest. Though, it didn’t exactly help. The rest of their walk towards Mr. Kwon’s farm at the border of Orlon went on without any of them saying anything, Jeongin’s occasional whimpers being the only thing they heard. Mr. Kwon used to be a man of kindness – he always gifted Jisung eggs and milk and occasionally helped him on busy days, for example by buying groceries for him or just making him laugh in a week Seungmin couldn’t visit him again.

Jisung didn’t know what he expected to happen, once one of those hellhounds got their fangs into you. He couldn’t stop the gasp that left his mouth though when they entered the small farm and saw Mr. Kwon on the floor, his body in a kneeling position and his left arm reaching out for something in his house – he obviously tried to get home before…well, his body seemed to freeze into a shadowy version of himself. Minho softly nudged his side and made Jisung turn away from the tragic sight, successfully blocking his view of Mr. Kwon by positioning himself next to the host. «Hellhounds take your soul with them. This is what’s left of you…once they’re done with you.«

The host barely nodded, leading the way behind the old barn. There stood Mr. Kwon’s carriage, covered by a white drapery to protect the means of transport from any weather effects or other things. Jisung sighed and took the drapery off, carefully pulling the carriage out from behind the barn towards the entrance. He just hoped those damn hellhounds didn’t do the same with Mr. Kwon’s horses. «Wait here. I’ll go find a horse and prepare the carriage…«, he said and encouraged Minho to sit down on the carriage.

The door to Mr. Kwon’s barn was heavy but Jisung managed. Luckily, the horses were unharmed and everything he needed for the carriage was right in front of him. He decided he’d free the other horses, not wanting them to starve, before taking the last one and harness the horse to the carriage. While doing so, he felt Minho’s eyes on him – but ignored it as best as he could.   
Once he was done, he patted the horse gently, a soft smile tugging on his lips as he climbed onto the carriage next to Minho. «Don’t you want to sit behind? It’ll get uncomfortable at the front…«

Minho shook his head and instead stared at the small oil lamps right and left to the front seats, the lamps immediately turning on without the warlock saying or doing anything more than thinking about them to turn on. «Try to avoid jolty streets, so Jeongin won’t be in any more pain. Are you sure you can drive through the night though?«

Jisung nodded and ordered the horse to walk, «We need to get to that temple as fast as possible. Don’t worry, I know the way.«

\-----

Back when Jisung was younger, he and his mother went to the woods more often in order to collect herbs and ingredients for food and potions. He knew the woods around Orlon like the back of his hand, knew where to drive and which streets he should avoid, knew where they could rest for a little while or for the horse to drink some water. After his mother died, Jisung had to sell their carriage and his horse though and from then on, he went to the woods by foot. Riding the carriage now during night, nothing but the two oil lamps lightening their way and the sound of the horse’s steps was nostalgic for him in many ways.

Minho had been quiet ever since they started their journey, Jisung wasn’t so sure why. Maybe he just tried not to disturb Jeongin in any way. Or maybe, the atmosphere was just too heavy for him to say something.   
The host decided to leave it at that and focused on the horse rather than his thoughts.   
«…Why are you still helping me…?«, Minho whispered after some time, his eyes focused on the passing shadows of the trees around them, «You don’t know me or Jeongin. As far as you know, I’m a wanted criminal who ran away from prison.«  
«…What’s left for me to do in Orlon?«, Jisung answered with a sigh. «I was always alone. But my whole town…is dead now. I only survived because you and Jeongin were there to save me. It’s the least I could do. And besides…«, he glanced over at the warlock and let his eyes linger on the small fox in his arms for a few seconds, «I don’t want him to die. You don’t seem like a criminal to me.«

The warlock barely nodded and remained silent.

Jisung couldn’t stand the silence and ordered the horse to turn at the next crossroad, «Could you please…talk about something? I don’t like this silence…«  
«…You must have a lot of questions, don’t you?«, Minho offered after a few seconds and offered a soft smile, «Ask me anything and I’ll try to answer. I can’t promise I’ll answer everything though.«

Well, the warlock wasn’t wrong; Jisung did have a few questions. But he didn’t know where to start or which one was considered a question Minho would be willing to answer.

He was almost certain the warlock knew about a lot of things, not only because he seemingly used to live in the holy kingdom or ran away from there. Even though they helped each other and knew their names, Jisung didn’t consider their relationship close enough for Minho to answer him why he ran away from prison. It seemed like he was innocent – or at least, that’s what the warlock had told him.

So he started with an easier question, «Where exactly are we going to take Jeongin…?«  
Jisung knew that the warlock turned to look and remained staring at him, but the host forced himself to keep his eyes locked on the horse and their direction. «To Jeongin’s master.«  
Maybe, he saw the confusion on Jisung’s face, but something must’ve made Minho laugh, the sound kind of calming the host – it meant that he didn’t fully lose all of his humour and light even within this darkness. Literally.  
He started explaining without Jisung saying anything, «Magical creatures like Jeongin aren’t meant to live in our world. They are…wishes and desires of sorcerers, born of something as trivial as maybe loneliness, the need of protection or just a friend. Nine-tailed foxes are said to be cruel and sneaky, out there to kidnap your women and children. Though, they are nothing else but cursed human souls that were bound to the world and yet couldn’t be seen or rescued. Jeongin died a long time ago, I don’t know when exactly. He doesn’t remember either. But he was summoned by his master’s ancestor around 300 years ago. No one can save him but his master, no one can heal those wounds but him…«

Jisung bit his lip and tried to understand that information. He once read a book about magical creatures; they were nothing but lost souls, summoned by sorcerers to live along side them as their companion and servant. They couldn’t refuse their master’s words and they couldn’t live without them. If their master died, they died. But if they died, their master could easily get a new servant. The thing though is; once the magical creature’s died as a servant, they were gone for good and on their way to heaven. It was like a second chance. The host assumed that Jeongin’s human form must’ve been what he used to look like as a human; a very long time ago.  
«Why is Jeongin with you then? You’re not his master…«

There were a few moments in which Minho seemed to think deeply about Jisung’s question. He didn’t know if the warlock was thinking about what to say or how to say it. Or if he even wanted to say it. After some time though, Minho finally said, «…One of the seven powerful warlocks is my best friend. He’s Jeongin’s master and as far as I know, Jeongin had been a servant to his family for a long time. When I got sentenced to death, Jeongin came to rescue me. I assume his master send him to do so or he would’ve done it…«  
Jisung decided to ignore the fact about Minho’s friend being one of the most powerful warlocks existing in their timeline for now, another wave of confusion hitting him instead; when Jeongin teleported himself directly in front of Jisung for the first time, he had said that he was looking for Minho all over Ifith. But if he had been the one rescuing Minho, why would the warlock run away from Atror for two weeks all by himself?

«My escape from Atror’s prison was…hectic«, Minho stifled a laugh at the memory as it seemed, his eyes focusing on the horse’s hoofs now, «I don’t think Jeongin knew what he was doing despite being a genius young fox. Though, once he knocked out the guards in front of my cell, the other prisoners started complaining about wanting to get out as well and then chaos erupted. He opened a gate for me to go through with a teleportation glass and pushed me through it. Unfortunately though, it ended in front of the Atror’s front gate and the guards there immediately recognized me. So…I stole a horse and ran away from them – until-…« - «Until you got to my pub and I helped you…«, Jisung ended his sentence and the warlock nodded shortly.

He turned his head to look at Jisung again, «I guess Jeongin was sent to look for me and get me back to his master. And now…a hellhound bit him because I underestimated that damn thing. We were almost back home. If I wouldn’t have begged him to return to Orlon, he wouldn’t hurt right now…«

Even though Minho obviously directed the fault and hate towards himself, Jisung couldn’t help but feel bad. They only returned because Minho wanted to save him. That was the only reason – the warlock didn’t know him, had no one in Orlon he actually cared for. They were almost gone. But he came back to help Jisung out of sympathy towards his humble and nice behaviour. Just because Jisung treated them both like humans, like normal people rather than being disgusted by a warlock and a nine-tailed fox.   
He watched as Minho’s eyes lost that little light again, his face blank as he stared down at Jeongin with void eyes. «Jeongin didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve a lot of things. He’s just a boy, barely a teenager. I will never be able to forgive myself if he’s going to die…«

«Back when my father disappeared«, Jisung started, a sudden memory plopping up in his head. He didn’t know why he told Minho about that, but somehow, he felt like it, «…my mother was devasted. She always blamed herself for it, saying that she knew he’d be gone once he realized how hard it was to be married to a magic potion expert. A woman who was constantly under control, someone who always had to live with the knowledge that the government was watching her. Just because she was born the way she was. We never figured out…why he left. We never saw him again. But even though he left, it felt like he was never truly gone. On my sixth birthday, a package stood in front of our door, a book about fairy tales in it and a card that said, _‘Happy Birthday, my little boy’_.«  
Jisung smiled at the memory, his mind still remembering his father’s eyes and the way he used to ruffle his hair whenever Jisung did something that made him laugh. «From then on, every year on my birthday, there was another package in front of our house. My mom eventually stopped blaming herself.«

They were now in the middle of the woods, maybe halfway through it. The dull moonlight could barely reach them through the trees even though their leaves started falling off slowly with the wind, the nights getting colder and summer slowly fading away from the world once again this year. Jisung didn’t know how to exactly formulate his words, didn’t know how to express something like that to Minho. It wasn’t like he talked a lot about his parents – there weren’t many people to do so anyways. Seungmin knew every little secret in Jisung’s life, from his incredibly ridiculous baby pictures over to how idiotic he managed to break his elbow after tripping over his feet in school. Though, the young priest never intentionally started talking about Jisung’s parents or his past in general.   
Lately, even though Jisung tried ignoring it, memories from a long time ago started showing up again, as if the ghosts of his parents wanted him to do so.

He took a deep breath and continued his story, knowing that Minho was actively listening, his big eyes resting on Jisung as if he had the answers to any question, «After my mother was executed by the government, I got one last birthday present. It was a book about spells, pretty old and I knew that my father used to have it. On the first page, he wrote _‘I love you’_. That was all. I never got another present after that. I waited year after year – until I accepted that my father, too, was gone.«

Jisung finally forced himself to look up and straight into Minho’s eyes. There was finally something else in the warlock’s eyes, the void gone. Instead, there was something deep and honest; _compassion_. «What I’m trying to say is…that even though I kept blaming myself, thinking that I did something to deserve those things…it’s not true. It’s not my fault. Some things happen because they are bound to happen. But they are not decided until the day it is supposed to happen. Jeongin will not die, as long as we can change that. And none of this is your fault. Jeongin is here because of a decision he made. You are here because of your own decisions. Just like I am. The goddess’ wheel of life…can’t be controlled by you.«

Minho didn’t answer for a long time, so Jisung turned his head forward and watched as the street became a little bit wider and evener. He stopped the carriage to tell Minho that they were safe to go a little bit faster now, when the warlock suddenly rested his head on Jisung’s shoulder.   
«…Thank you. For telling me…for cheering me up. You’re wise for such a young squirrel…«

Jisung didn’t answer and nodded instead, ordering the horse to gallop. He decided that he will manage to bring Jeongin back home in time. That the cute little boy won’t die anytime soon.

\-----

There were a lot of ancient temples all over Ifith, the one’s in Enos though were known for their affinity to water and earth. Jisung was bad at praying and honestly, he couldn’t do much with magic or anything regarding that topic. But his brain was an archive of information. He knew everything about Ifith’s history, every legend regarding the temples of the elements or the goddess’ holy companions. The number of books he had read wasn’t even countable anymore, Seungmin always sneakily lending him books from the temple. Jisung absorbed information like a black hole. And just like that, once he memorized something, it usually never left his head.

The temple they were about to reach was one of the oldest one’s in Ifith. It was said to be the ruin of the water goddess Zotuna. She was said to be gone for a few hundred years now, no one but Ranera knowing why. Jisung knew that a lot of the ancient gods and goddess disappeared after the great war between hell and heaven about 400 or 500 years ago. The real reason behind it or what exactly happened though was a secret to anyone except Ranera herself.

Normal warlocks and wizards couldn’t teleport all around the world like they wanted to. They needed a place with concentrated magic, just as temples. Though, not any temples – ancient temples like Zotuna’s were complete remains of a once beautiful and powerful castle. Therefore, they were a massive source of deviant energy – a holy place of nature, freedom and peace. Jisung just hoped that Minho’s affinity to water was good enough for him to teleport himself and Jeongin to that mysterious, powerful warlock.

He stopped the carriage and tied the horse to a tree. Zotuna’s temple was just as beautiful and mystic as it should be – there was a big lake at the very far edge of the forest, directly in front of the thunder mountains. In the middle of the lake was an altar, towering out of the water with a dome-shaped roof, plants fighting their way around the columns. There was a bridge paving the way towards the altar, also made out of the same mystically white stone. Jisung immediately felt at ease once his feet touched the ground, the little amount of magic in his veins instantly reacting to the call of water. Which was weird cause he basically hated swimming.  
«This is it. It’s still night so you should be able to make it even without affinity to water«, Jisung mumbled and held his hand out for Minho so he could climb down the carriage without hurting Jeongin. The little fox had started breathing flatly, barely moving or making sounds anymore. It was bad; Minho had said that he started to get hot and probably had a fever.

Once the warlock stepped onto the rich grass next to Jisung, it seemed like his shoulders relaxed and his whole aura got calmer. «This is perfect. How come this temple is still so pure…?«, Minho asked and walked ahead, Jisung following him slowly. «Only few people know about it. My mother used to come here with me when I was still a child because of my…magical defect. She thought that maybe, water would help the flow of magic inside me. It didn’t though, as you know.«

They were walking over the stone bridge to the altar, Jisung stopping next to a column with a smile.

«So, I guess…this is where we part ways«, he said and watched as Minho’s steps stopped. The warlock turned around, obviously confused as to what the host was talking about. «…Wait what?«  
Jisung tilted his head to the side, «Well, we’re here. You can teleport yourself and Jeongin to your warlock friend.«

Minho gaped at him with a shocked expression. «But…what are you going to do? Your hometown is…I mean…you’re alone.« - «Did you expect me to come with you?«, Jisung asked, now just as confused as the warlock, who just nodded eagerly as an answer. «Yes! I can’t leave you here all by yourself! This is not righ-…!«

A loud growl made both, Jisung and Minho, stop in their movements. The host wanted to turn around, but once his eyes met with the other, the warlock slowly shook his head, «Don’t. Move.«  
He could hear the growl getting louder and felt a cold sensation running up his legs, almost as if he stepped into a sea during winter. In his peripheral vision he could see black shadows dancing back and forth.   
Jisung was almost certain that if he didn’t die the day prior, he would most definitely die now. There was no freakin way he would survive this. The hellhound touched his leg and he already felt like the energy left his body. He concentrated on Minho again, when he whispered, «I want you to take my hand when I tell you to. Waste no time. Just run when I’m telling you, understood.«  
It didn’t sound like a question, even though it was one. Jisung barely nodded and forced himself to ignore the hellhound. Or the one’s creeping up behind Minho. Or the other ten one’s slowly circling them on the altar.

The next few seconds happened in a flash for Jisung; the warlock nodded his head, almost as if he wanted to convince himself that this was a good idea, and spit an incantation, a light speer shooting out of his hand in an instant and striking the hellhound next to Jisung. He figured that this was his sign, for Minho moved his free hand frantically and held it out to him with pleading eyes. Oh and Jisung ran, as fast as he could to be exact. He felt a sudden pain running up his right arm but in the same moment, his left-hand grasped Minho’s and within the next second, he didn’t feel anything but weightlessness.

\-----

When Jisung opened his eyes again, he found himself on a cold floor. He forced himself to stand up and ignored the burning pain running up his arm as soon as he saw Minho and Jeongin only a few meters away from him, laying on the ground. His eyes observed their surroundings – it was a dark room, the only light coming from a green portal. He assumed they fell out of that thing and that Minho teleported them to that friend of his. Shaking his head, he walked over to Minho and shook his shoulders lightly, the warlock immediately sitting up and his eyes looking for seemingly Jeongin, who was laying on the floor next to him. «Holy freakin’ freckles, I did it! I thought I’d lose you in space because my grip on your hand was so light!«, he said and went through his hair with his hand.

Before Jisung could answer anything, a door suddenly opened and dull light floated the room they were in, a man standing at the door with a puzzled expression on his face. He wore a pyjama as it seemed, his silky dressing rope making him seem like some prince waking up from his beauty sleep.   
«By all means of Ranera – Minho! Where were you?! Where is Jeongin?! And who is that?!«, he said, his voice rather deep and his eyes shimmering in a bright green light.

Minho carefully lifted Jeongin and stood up, Jisung doing the same, «I have no time to explain right now! You need to save Jeongin!«

The man stared at the fox with a solemn look in his eyes, Jisung suddenly realizing that this must be the master Minho was talking about. The warlock-friend. One of the seven powerful warlocks. The warlock of nature – hence why his colour was green.   
«Oh my – okay! Come with me!«, he said, turning on his heals and walking away with fast steps. They followed him through the corridors of what seemed like his mansion, though Jisung didn’t have the time or energy to actually remember the details of their way or how the mansion looked like.

«How did this happen? Jeongin was looking for you for weeks! Minho, weeks!«, the warlock said and Jisung saw Minho flinching next to him, his gaze sadly lingering on the young fox in his arms.   
«I didn’t know he was looking for me up until one week ago! I was running away from the royal guards and they almost found me in Orlon-…« - «Orlon?! You went all the way from Atror to Enos?!«, the powerful warlock stopped at a wide door and threw it open, the wings of it hitting the walls in the process.

Jisung flinched, just like the pink-haired girl that was sitting on a desk next to the door, her expression showing how shocked he was, «M-Master! What happened?!«, her eyes fell on Minho and then Jeongin, immediately widening after and her whole body seemingly freezing at the sight.   
«Ryujin! Concentrate! Get me some hot water and herbals!«

Ryujin flinched and shook her head, seemingly to bring herself back to reality. She nodded and went off in a hurry, Minho carefully laying the young fox down on one of the neatly made white beds. Jisung would’ve been amazed at the fact that there seemed to be some sort of infirmary if it wasn’t for his own spinning head and the chaos going on right now.

It seemed like the warlock was still fuming with anger, his eyes glowing bright green. The glare wasn’t meant for Jisung, but he still felt extremely uncomfortable. «You still didn’t tell me how this happened«, the warlock sternly said. Minho visibly flinched and told him about the hellhound, how he underestimated the beast and how they got separated from Jeongin in space. The powerful warlock seemed anything but calm, his eyes a mixture of fury, disappointment and worry.   
«How could you underestimate a hellhound?!« - «I was stressed! I didn’t know what to do! I panicked as soon as I realized what happened!«, Minho exclaimed frustrated.

Jisung watched as Ryujin stepped beside him, a bucket of what he assumed hot water in it. She tried speaking up but couldn’t form any words, Minho and the warlock constantly firing sentences and assaults back and forth. The host stepped between them when the warlock’s eyes started glowing in an aggressive green, Minho obviously taking the blame and shrinking back, «Stop it! Both of you, shut up! Jeongin is dying, so could you both please concentrate on saving him for now?! Minho already feels guilty for what happened even though it’s not his fault! He came back to save me! So shut up and do what you need to do!«

The powerful warlock stared at him, the green in his eyes slowly vanishing. His beautiful face got calmer and he turned to look at Jeongin instead, waving Ryujin over to him without sparing Minho another glance, «You’re right, squirrel-boy. Ryujin, come here. I need chamomile and comfrey.«

While they started working on doing whatever they needed to do to save Jeongin, Minho stepped next to him, his head hanging low. «…Thank you-…wait Jisung! You’re bleeding!«  
In all honesty, with all the adrenalin and the things going on, Jisung didn’t notice. He had felt the pain before they teleported, he had knew there was something burning in his arm, but he didn’t really feel it until now. «I…guess so«, he mumbled and watched as Minho grabbed his arm. Somehow, he felt the world spinning. It was like everything around him was a blur. He barely registered Minho’s shocked shriek, only knew that he obviously fell to the floor because of the pain in his head. He could hear voices, telling him to stay awake. The last thing he registered before he blacked out were magenta eyes, a warm feeling of safety and yet a numbing pain shooting straight through his right arm and his body to his heart.

\-----

_«Help«_

_It was the only word Jisung could hear. He wasn’t sure if he was unconscious or just asleep. All he knew was that it was dark. It felt like he was floating in water, like there was no ground, no sky, no right or left. Nothing but darkness. Though, in the midst of this darkness, he heard that voice; soft and careful, almost caring. Warm and yet…scared. Barely a whisper, barely anything Jisung should be able to hear. And yet, he did. This voice, a woman’s voice, luring him into something warm and comfortable._

_A light, suddenly strong and blinding. _

_A sky, as green as the leaves in summer, the ground as rich and wonderful as it could be. Everything, a wonderful version of how the world used to look like under her reign. There were flowers, slowly blossoming. There was no sun, though, there didn’t need to be one. It was just…light. It was just beautiful without the sun needed. _

_Jisung took a deep breath, his lungs filling with that beautiful air – air as pure and clean as he never breathed it. His eyes caught something; or rather someone. Her hair short, her white dress hugging the beautiful body in all the right places, her gaze lingering on the green sky. _

_«Help…«_

_There it was again. The voice from earlier. _

_Jisung made a step forward, flinching when he could hear something snapping under his feet. He looked down and saw a branch, his eyes confused at the now dirty ground, his surroundings suddenly dark and red, everything being destroyed; the air smelled of fire, the grass was gone, the green sky replaced by pitch black darkness. _

_The woman in front of him turned around, a totally shocked expression on her face. «Help.«_

_Help. Help. Help. Help. _

_Jisung wanted to run. He wanted to reach her hand, wanted to save her from the darkness, from the fire. But he couldn’t – he felt hands grasping his legs, scratching through his jeans and hurting his legs, he could hear fire snapping at the air and people screaming. Yet, above all of those sounds, her voice was the loudest. _

_«Help«_

_I’m trying! I’m trying! I’m trying!_

_He couldn’t do anything. He watched her beautiful face slowly panicking more and more, with every passing second. She stared at him through wide eyes, her hand shining a bright green colour as her lips formulated an incantation Jisung didn’t know and couldn’t hear. The green from her hands started glowing around his body, the warmth spreading and the hands on his legs letting go. Yet, the darkness around her got worse. She fell onto her knees, breathing hard and face pale. Her soft glow vanished. Jisung tried getting to her but she held her head up and stared at him through her green eyes, shaking her head lightly. _

_«Save yourself. Go. Wake up...«_

_Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. _

_And the last thing Jisung saw was how the flames got to her, how the darkness swallowed her whole and how she lost all consciousness, falling into the massive darkness behind her._

_There was only one thing on his mind, the name prominent in his head. He wanted to call out to her. But his mind slipped away, his eyes fluttered shut, his body feeling weak again and darkness clouding his head…_

\-----

_«…Kritix!«,_ Jisung opened his eyes immediately, staring up into green one’s and almost jumping out of bed if it wasn’t for the man’s hand immediately holding him down by his shoulder. He was totally disorientated, his head spinning because of how hard his thoughts ran around in his head. Kritix. He had heard that name, he knew it. Who was she? Who was that woman? Why couldn’t he remember?   
«Do you remember what happened?«, the green-eyed man said and Jisung flinched at the sudden words.   
«I don’t know. There was grass. And it was…calm. And then there was fire and I saw that woman and she started dying but I couldn’t help her and then she told me to run and I wanted to get to her, but I couldn’t and then I woke up and I-…!« - «Wait. Shush. What are you talking about?«, the man interrupted him, his eyes not glowing anymore but now having a soft chocolate brown colour.

Jisung tried to remember. That wasn’t real. It was a dream. He knew it was. There were no green skies, there was no world without a sun. But it felt so…real. «I…don’t remember. I’m really confused.«  
The man narrowed his eyes, the beautiful mole under his left eye somehow fascinating to him. He then sighed and turned around to a girl with pink hair, «Ryujin, do some last checks and then show him to his room. He should be able to walk around freely.«

Somehow, Jisung remembered the name Ryujin. But his head couldn’t grasp when he heard it. Heck, he didn’t even know where the hell he actually was! Still, he knew that he could trust them and that he was save. Some part of his obviously not really functioning brain remembered. But Jisung himself couldn’t quite grasp it.

Ryujin helped him standing up and gasped as soon as the blanket was gone, her eyes fixated on his legs, «Master! H-His legs…«  
The green-eyed man turned around and stared at Jisung’s legs in utter disbelieve, the host followed his gaze and forced himself not to yelp; there were scratches and open, bloody wounds on his legs. Strange enough, he didn’t feel them – it didn’t hurt. His brain immediately brought back the hands that were holding him back in his dream. It’s not like he never woke up with dirty clothes or with his shoes on – he did sleep-walk from time to time, that was a fact. But he didn’t think he actually went through some wood without them noticing and besides, a small part of him just knew that those wounds were from his dream.

The green-eyed man ordered Ryujin to clean the scratches and join him in the salon as soon as Jisung would’ve taken a shower and dressed up.

After Ryujin did what she had been told, Jisung had some time for himself while taking the most relaxing shower he probably ever had. Not like he actually had a shower – he was as broke as one could be, there was no way he could ever afford a shower. Instead of enjoying the feeling though, his head started picking up on the things he forgot as soon as the water hit him. It was like someone lifted a thick layer of darkness from his eyes when all the memories kicked in; how he met Minho, how Orlon got attacked, how they escaped, rescued Jeongin and barely got away _again_.

He remembered Ryujin and the green-eyed man being Jeongin’s master. His memories stopped at the calming sound of Minho’s panicked incantation and his bright magenta eyes obviously saving him from dying for good.

Jisung glanced at his right arm and saw it wrapped up in bandages. He guessed one of the hellhounds must’ve bitten him right before Minho managed to get them away from Zotuna’s altar. The host glanced at the water raining down onto him, a sudden feeling of comfort washing over him. And then it hit him – this water was from a holy spring. Hence why his memories suddenly flooded his mind like a waterfall breaking through. A genius master Jeongin had there, really.

He stepped out of the shower and examined the clothes he had been given by Ryujin; high quality material, as it seemed. The dark blue silk top perfectly matched with the tight dress pants and shiny black shoes. Jisung wouldn’t say the clothes weren’t comfortable but he wasn’t used to such luxury things.   
Being one of the seven powerful warlocks had it’s positive sides, as it seemed.

As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry with a white towel, a wind went straight through him and a girl with braided pigtails, sharp eyes, soft skin and a bright smile suddenly appeared in front of him. He should be used to people teleporting themselves right in front of his nose by now, but the effect of shock remained the same. Jisung jumped a little and yelped, the towel lazily falling to the ground and his hands resting above his startled heart, «By all means of Ranera – who are you?!«  
It wasn’t really helpful that she was a few centimetres taller than Jisung, her smile though never leaving her mouth and a soft chuckle escaping her lips, «Excuse me, I’m not that good with teleporting yet; hence why I almost flipped us both over. My name is Hwang Yeji. Ryujin asked me to take you to the salon. Are you ready to go? Great!«

Even before Jisung could think of answering anything, Yeji grabbed his hands and within the next second, there were blue colours everywhere. It was cold and when Jisung felt the ground beneath his feet, he was actually flipped over by Yeji, coming out of a space portal right behind him.   
«…Your affinity is water, isn’t it?«, he said and Yeji sat up on his back in an instant, not standing up though. «Yes! I’m sorry, I thought I could take you to space without losing control!«

«Get off him Yeji«, a voice said, and the girl immediately stood up. Jisung sighed and did the same, thankfully taking Yeji’s hand when she reached out to help him up. He looked around; the salon was a medium sized room, the walls were made out of stone and the floor out of wood, a red carpet spread across the floor in front of a chimney; there were three dark green armchairs made out of leather (as it seemed). Jisung honestly wasn’t surprised to be greeted by a lot of faces, one of them being Minho.

He didn’t even stand for a proper minute when something ran over the floor right to him in fast speed, his eyes barely able to follow the orange-brown thing before it jumped up and straight into his arms. He noticed the fur and how the animal nuzzled it’s nose inside his neck, a soft voice speaking in his head, _«Hyung! You’re alive!«_  
Jisung knew this was Jeongin just from the way his voice ringed in his head like the sweet sound of bells. He patted the foxes head, his muscles relaxing a little bit from knowing the little boy was okay.   
«Just like you«, he said and placed him back down, Jeongin jumping around his feet like an excited dog. _Cute…,_ he thought and raised his head when a silky voice said, «Well, unlike him, _you_ almost didn’t make it.«

The green-eyed warlock was sitting on one of the armchairs, a glass of red wine in his hand. Jisung never actually got to look at him within clear day light even though he should’ve done so from the beginning.  
Minho slapped his head and some of the wine spilled over the carpet, the warlock wincing with probably the cutest _«Ouch«_ Jisung had ever heard. He turned around to Minho, who was standing right behind him with an annoyed expression, «Excuse me?! How dare you slapping me!«  
«Stop acting so mysterious for no reason we all know you’re not anywhere near as classic as you try to act!«, Minho answered and pointed his head towards a grumbling warlock, «This is Hwang Hyunjin. He is the third-most powerful warlock of the seven sins, representing pride and gifted with the power of nature.«

Jisung stared at Hyunjin with an unreadable expression, his eyes examining the warlock. Hyunjin didn’t seem like the sin of pride, but the affinity of nature sure as hell did; his eyes were warm and his magic green. He assumed that Ryujin and Yeji were his students for magic, hence why they were calling him both Master. Hyunjin had a beautiful face, a mole right under his left eye, his skin as white as snow and long legs. His lips were formed to a pout and Jisung wondered why he let Minho talk to him like that. Then again – he didn’t really care.

His mind finally caught on to what Hyunjin said earlier, Jisung’s eyes widening and glancing down at Jeongin (who had decided to sit down right between his legs) before saying: «Wait, what do you mean with_ ‘I almost didn’t make it’_?«  
Hyunjin’s pout disappeared and instead made room for a serious expression. He looked a lot older all of a sudden, his playful aura gone, «A hellhound bit you. So Minho casted a spell on you even though I told him to refrain from it«, Minho avoided Hyunjin’s scolding glare, «We weren’t sure if you would make it and waited for you to wake up. It seems like you are as normal as can be though.«

Jisung blinked. «Normal? You waited? How long did I sleep?«  
_«You were out of it for almost a whole week«_, Jeongin’s voice ringed inside his head and the host’s breath hitched in his throat. «What?!«


	5. circumspectness potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry this is so late lmao  
December is always a hell of a ride and I had to prepare so many things for christmas-  
But now I finally managed to finish this chapter  
though I have to admit it's more of a filler chapter, it still has some really important information for you guys uwu
> 
> Have fun!~ <33

**Circumspectness potion;  
Oh well, you might want to use this potion as often as possible – it’s an extremely rare and expensive mixture, it’s making taking a couple of weeks and the effects guaranteed; of course, as long as you’re strictly doing what the prescription says. Even experienced magic potion makers are often underestimating the difficulty of this potion, solely focusing on the benefit of being precautious for twelve hours without doing anything else but taking a sip of this mixture. You should be wise to start the potion in a chilly winter night, because if you’re brewing it too hot, it might end really…ugly for you. Just in case you’d fail to do this correctly and drink it without testing if the outcome is as written here…  
Just, don’t try this unless you’re experienced!**

It wasn’t like Jisung suddenly forgot how to be grateful. He certainly was grateful to Hyunjin and his…well friends…to cure him. But he didn’t exactly think he’d be out of it for seven days straight.   
It wasn’t like there was someone who would miss him either; his hometown had been destroyed and pretty much purged by hellhounds.

He still couldn’t believe how the hell (pun not intended) he managed to get away from them. _Twice_. And even more so, _surviving_ it (though he almost didn’t make it the second time, apparently).

Jisung tried to stay calm, though, he was sure that didn’t really work out; Minho undid his crossed arms with a worried expression, almost as if he wanted to be ready to act. «Listen, there’s nothing to be worried about. You could’ve died with me trying to cure you or you could’ve woke up with some weird ability which is all not the case…«  
That…did not ease the host’s nerves. Not in the slightest.

His concern though was something entirely different, «I need to get back to Orlon right now.«  
«What? You’re in no condition to travel through space!«, Hyunjin answered and Jisung liked to differ. He felt healthy, maybe a little tired, but definitely not sick anymore.   
«I don’t care«, he said and started walking towards the door, not knowing where he would go after that (since he had no idea about this mansion), but he would find a way out…somehow. «I’ve been gone for too long.«

Minho immediately stepped in front of him as soon as he had walked around the armchair, his face stern and worried, «Why? I don’t want to sound rude but there isn’t anything left for you there except for a ghost town.« The host didn’t answer. He knew that if he would answer him, the warlock would try to stop him, talk him out of it. The warlock narrowed his eyes at Jisung, who tried to avoid his round eyes by all costs. «You wanted to stay back when we arrived at Zotuna’s altar too«, Minho remembered with a sceptical expression, «Tell me why.«  
«I need to get my stuff and figure out where I should go next«, Jisung answered briefly. It wasn’t a lie but not exactly the truth too. He just intentionally left out the most important part.

«Okay, so I’ll teleport you back to Orlon, you can go back to your pub for some clothes, maybe things from your childhood and some other stuff. And then I’ll take you back here«, Minho offered with knowing eyes. He knew that Jisung was lying. And the way he didn’t answer anything – nor a yes or a no – made it even clearer to him. «You’re not being honest. Tell me what’s important enough for you to go back.«

Jisung finally looked back up at him with hard eyes and forced himself to sound as cold as possible. Theoretically, they didn’t know each other. They weren’t friends, they weren’t even a friend’s friend. They were strangers who just so happened to travel together and escape death about two times. «I don’t need to tell you. It’s none of your concern.«

«It is though when you’re going to do something stupid!«, Minho answered immediately.   
The host glared at him, «Why do you care? You have a home; you escaped the royal guards and your punishment and you’re free to do whatever you want to do!«  
«You don’t know anything about me except for my name! You don’t know about any of the things going on around you and that’s why I’m concerned!«, honestly, Jisung should’ve felt grateful for Minho to just…well, _care_. But the sudden revealing of some things he obviously didn’t know pissed him off for some reason. Even more so, that Minho was right; just like the warlock had no further information about Jisung’s life, the host didn’t know anything about him either. He couldn’t assume things like you have a home or you’re free to do whatever you want. Which was also why he couldn’t think of a smart answer.

«Now stop acting like a brat and tell me why you want to go back so desperately«, Minho said and Jisung sighed. «Seungmin. I wanted to go find him…«  
The warlock remained silent, obviously not knowing who Seungmin was. How was he supposed to find out? They never talked about him. «…He’s been my only friend for years. When all of this happened, I haven’t seen him for over a week and I’m really worried about him.«

Minho sighed, his posture relaxing a little bit and hands coming up to rest on the host’s shoulders. His eyes had lost the fire from earlier, now emitting something rather warm and comforting, «…I understand how you’re feeling. But I can’t let you go back there with those hellhounds still running around. And if he was in Orlon, he probably ended up-…« - «He wasn’t«, Jisung interrupted him. «Seungmin is the son of two priests and studies the ways of the gods at the temple. He usually visited me once a week and if he couldn’t for some reason, he made sure to inform me. But I didn’t hear anything from him…I’m certain he’s still in the temple. If not, then somewhere out there.«

He could see how the warlock started thinking but also noticed how he tensed at the mentioning of the temple. Minho exhaled, «Right before me and Jeongin were about to teleport out of Enos, there was a big…I don’t know how to call it. We saw it coming from the sky like the gods send a message, straight down onto something. It caused the heavy fog around Orlon and it was then that the hellhounds appeared out of nowhere. This weird…light. It hit at the temple near Orlon.«

Jisung knew he should’ve panicked but instead, he was just confused. The priests were always really weird, but they were acting particularly strange lately. He remembered the conversation he had with the royal guards right before they heard the light hit the temple, right before they heard the woman scream outside his pub; right before the hellhounds killed everyone. Jinyoung had been telling him that the priests weren’t opening their doors, weren’t answering to their knocks or shouts. Almost as if there was no one left to do so.

He took a deep breath, «Okay. You’re right, I can’t go and look for Seungmin just like that. But I can’t just sit here either. I won’t be able to sleep knowing he could be somewhere out there…all by himself.«  
A clap made both, him and Minho, flinch and turn towards Hyunjin, who stood up from his armchair with a serious expression on his face, «It seems like there are a lot of things we need to discuss and share with one another. First of all though, squirrel-boy. What even is your name?«

It was at that moment Jisung realized, that he never mentioned his name. Nor to Minho or Jeongin. He suddenly felt extremely dumb and facepalmed his own forehead with a loud smack. «Did I really…never tell you?«, he asked Minho, hiding his reddening cheeks when the warlock shook his head with a hint of an amused smile.

«Jisung…my name is Han Jisung. I’m twenty years old and I’m a magic potion expert though I have a magical defect and can’t really mix any potions because of that, which is why the government didn’t find out about my very low amount of magic and why I don’t have to get checked-up by them, though they will kill me once they know I lied and I really have no idea why I’m telling you guys all of this-…« - «Okay. We don’t need to know anything«, Hyunjin stopped his useless ranting with a sigh, ignoring Yeji’s short but loud _«Yet…«_ she threw in smoothly by simply walking towards the door, past Minho and Jisung.

«I’m starving so shut up and follow me.«

And just like that – everyone did.

\-----

«…I can’t believe none of you can cook«, Jisung said with a sigh, eyeing the weird soup on the table, the over-cooked rice and some really…not good-looking lettuce. How can someone fail at making a damn salad?!

After Hyunjin had announced that he needed something to eat, they gathered in the dining room, where chaos started to erupt; as soon as they stepped inside, literally everyone (Jeongin and Jisung excluded) got ready for rock-paper-scissors, jumping into individually idiotic positions. He realized with some explaining from Jeongin that they were trying to figure out who should cook, since apparently, no one liked doing it (Minho _could_ cook, as Jisung had experienced himself, but Jeongin had answered that the warlock hated cooking for, quote; _«Those ungrateful hungry idiots«_). In the end, Ryujin was the poor girl to lose their (intense) fight of rock-paper-scissors and she immediately went to the accompanying kitchen, doing her thing.   
Honestly, Jisung should’ve known there was something wrong when he heard a couple of weird sounds from the kitchen (he thought that he had heard Ryujin cry but wasn’t so sure about that).

When the girl set the table and placed the food in front of them, there was a heavy silence above them like a blanket laying on top of you.

Hyunjin cleared his voice, his nose going up into the air as if he wanted to prove a point (though, he couldn’t save himself from that embarrassment anymore), «W-Well, sorry, we’re not all hosts of some famous pub!«  
Jisung assumed this was the warlock’s sin of pride coming through and he needed to hold back a laughter at that. The sight of the sad (and violated) food in front of him made him want to cry all over though. He sighed and stood up, rolling his sleeves up and shaking his head in utter disappointment.   
«I’ll save the dinner«, he said and grabbed the pot containing the soup.

«Wait stop!«, Hyunjin said, grabbing the pot over Jisung’s hands in an instant. «You can’t cook! You’re a guest and I can’t let a guest cook!«  
«Excuse me?!«, Minho exclaimed with an offended tone in his voice, «You made me scrub the whole house when I was here for the first time!«  
«That doesn’t count you’re not even considered a guest anymore, that’s how disrespectful you are towards me«, Hyunjin countered and ignored the other’s totally huffy expression, instead focusing on Jisung again. The host didn’t know what kind of glare he had sent the warlock through his eyes, but the other’s hands immediately lost their grip above his as soon as their eyes locked.   
«I won’t say it again; I. Will. Save. The. Dinner.«

If there was one thing Jisung didn’t joke around with, it was food. He knew it wasn’t only because he was used to be poor and grew up not eating for days sometimes, but also his undeniable passion for just…well, eating. Knowing he was good at cooking also added onto the fact that he would not, under no circumstances, eat that…dinner of hell.

Or whatever Ryujin summoned in the kitchen.

He glared down onto the pot again and back up to Hyunjin’s eyes, who shrunk down despite his height and took his hands back in an instant, sitting down on his chair with a pout on his full lips.   
«…J-Just saying, I tried being polite and do the cooking!«

_«It’s not exactly polite to serve literal trash as food, Hyunjin-ie«_, Jeongin’s voice ringed through Jisung’s head and he knew that everyone else heard it too. The host also decided to bite his tongue and not say anything regarding the cute nickname Jeongin had used for the warlock, not wanting to hurt his pride more than they all already did.

Jisung needed almost one and a half hours to fix…well, literally everything. The kitchen had been a mess to say the least and he had forced Hyunjin to clean the mess up with his magic or else he would’ve shoved the weird lettuce down his throat (don’t blame Jisung, he needed to threaten him after trying to convince Hyunjin to do so for almost fifteen minutes; there was no way he would’ve touched those things standing around in the kitchen). He finally managed to start rearranging the food but had to send Yeji to buy some ingredients because there was literally _nothing_ there.

After a lot of shouting and demanding, Jisung finally put down a presentable dish on the table between their plates, a sigh leaving his mouth as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and explained: «I decided to rescue our food and add some things to the menu. I did some magic to the soup and added vegetables in it; used fresh lettuce for the salad and fried some chicken before adding a light sauce I made with some peanuts. As for drinks…«, Jisung went to the kitchen and came back with a beautiful jug made out of glass in his hands, «…I settled for a light but rich tasting Matcha-strawberry tea.«

He nodded his head, took off the apron and sat down on his chair between Yeji and Minho, Jeongin immediately jumping onto his lap as soon as he sat comfortably.

No one dared saying anything and no one touched any of the food, Jisung raising an eyebrow at their weird behaviour. He didn’t know them very well but judging from what he had been able to witness so far, they were all crackheads in some way. This silence was weird. «What are you staring at?«  
«This looks better than any of the things we ate in ages«, Hyunjin mumbled and the host watched as all of them nodded their heads in a weird trance.   
«Well…«, he started and made a lazy movement with his hand, «Then don’t waste my food and eat.«

\-----

After a very long and great dinner, they all went back into the salon, seemingly to discuss the things that obviously were to discuss. There was no doubt that Minho and maybe even Hyunjin knew a lot more about what exactly happened in Enos. Jisung honestly just wanted to jump into that damn portal and go back to get Seungmin. He knew though that Minho would not hesitate to stop him in any way (if needed).

While Yeji set up some tea (Jisung had had to show her for fifteen minutes how to do so without actually destroying the whole kitchen and only left once he was sure she would manage to do so), Hyunjin had started to work on some assignments.

Just like the ten great wizards, the seven powerful warlocks had a very important meaning in Ifith; they weren’t just a bunch of gifted and extremely talented sorcerers, they all had a purpose and a task to do. The warlocks were typically known to guard the seven keys to hell. But just like every other important role of Ifith, they had to do a lot of work in form of…assignments. Hyunjin was no exception. Jisung didn’t know about what kind of assignments he had to deal with exactly.

But judging by the way he groaned and desperately tried to get anyone to distract him from the task at hand, it probably wasn’t really interesting to do.

«Need any help?«, Minho went to ask Hyunjin with a knowing grin spreading on his face. Hyunjin’s eyebrow twitched, probably from stress and feeling annoyed by his friend.   
«No. I don’t. I can handle my own assignments perfectly well or they wouldn’t have been assigned to _me_!«, he answered in a hushed tone and seemed to bite back his anger.

Minho giggled but tapped his shoulder lazily when Yeji finally came inside with a tray full of cups and another jug. Jisung cringed at the sight, her hands shaking and a helpless smile on her cute lips, obviously unsure about whether or not she was able to keep on holding the tray. How badly could someone’s balance actually be?! The host sighed and took the tray from her, securely placing cup after cup on the table between the armchairs before filling each cup with the minty tea.

Hyunjin muttered a tired thank you before all of them sat down around the table, Ryujin casting some spell and summoning more armchairs for everyone to sit in. For some reason, Jeongin liked to sit on Jisung’s lap and the small fox immediately jumped onto it as soon as the host had sat down with his cup in his hands. The prideful warlock eyed Jeongin with a warm expression for a few seconds before clearing his throat and saying, «I guess we should talk about the current…situation in Enos.«

The warlock took a sip of his tea with a sudden stern and strict expression on his face, every trace of the playful smiles or offended pursed lips gone in an instant. «Three weeks ago, I got a letter from her majesty; it was the weirdest letter I have ever gotten in which she just asked me to do some things with an additional note saying, _‘to not question it’_. I did, of course, follow her majesty’s requests and did as the letter had said. It’s taken me a whole week to finish the things on that list, hence why I have so much paperwork right now. Though, a day after I finished it…I felt a sudden rush of…uneasiness. It was weird. It was an ugly feeling, like the darkest thing I’ve ever felt crept itself inside my heart. I’ve never felt something like that before.«

Jisung frowned; he knew that feeling, «When a hellhound chased me, I felt the same«, all eyes turned to him, everyone having an uneasy expression on their face, «It’s…weird, because I usually feel at ease around dark magic. But that wasn’t just dark – it was…evil. Purely evil. The pure presence of that hellhound made me feel like there was no light left, nothing good, nothing to save me, no warmth…nothing at all. Just pitch-black darkness.«  
He watched as Hyunjin nodded slowly, «My feeling of uneasiness was soon accompanied by a loud bang – like something hit the earth, an asteroid or something like that. Seconds later, there was a bright light shining all over the sky and emitting from Enos…«  
«It was the day me and Jeongin went back to Orlon to save Jisung because I had a bad feeling about that light«, Minho concluded, «And seconds after, there were hellhounds all over Orlon.«

«But isn’t that weird«, Ryujin spoke up, her soft voice echoing in the silence of the salon, «Hellhounds don’t just…go on killing sprees. They’re out for something. They’re looking for a particular soul or else they wouldn’t have come to Orlon.«

Jisung nodded along, though he had no idea about hellhounds. He needed to research that topic as well as the space and time thing. «But what? What were they looking for?«, he asked and then frowned some more, «doesn’t that sound weird? If they were obviously looking for someone, why would they corner me and Minho at the altar? How could they even step onto it in the first place…? That doesn’t make sense…«

Silence crept into the room, all of them silently thinking about Jisung’s words. Jeongin shifted on Jisung’s lap, sitting up on his back feet, tail hugging his paws. _«What about Ranera? Did she say anything?«_  
Hyunjin’s eyes darkened, «I tried contacting her, but I couldn’t – nor any other of the seven warlocks or the ten wizards. She doesn’t answer to any of the messages or pleads.«

Jisung tried to focus on what they were starting to talk about, but his eyes seemed to lose focus and instead, he stared onto no particular point in the air. The voices of the other’s slowly started to quiet down until he could only focus on a soft melody, the sound of a sweet and rich voice; though, suddenly, it stopped, and he could hear a soft voice saying something. Jisung needed a few seconds to understand what she said,

_«Help…«_

His heartbeat quickened, his head starting to pound at the sound of her voice. He thought about his dream again, felt how the hands from out of that dream were slowly starting to grab his legs again even though he wasn’t trying to get to her. He didn’t even _see_ her. He just heard her. It felt like all the warmth around him disappeared, the soft light of the fire in the chimney disappearing more and more with every second…

…until, suddenly, a sharp pain on his lap made him gasp for air and refocus on where he actually sat, his head pounding upon hearing Jeongin’s voice in his head, _«Hyung!«_  
Jisung shook his head and blinked a few times, the ugly feeling around his legs gone and his goose bumps easing away by the warmth of Jeongin’s fur. «What? I…I’m sorry, I didn’t listen.«  
While everyone looked at him weirdly, Jisung tried to maintain a straight face. Hyunjin eyed him for a second before repeating himself: «I said…that the hellhounds probably didn’t catch whoever they were sent to get. Which is why everything around Orlon is off-limits as for now.«

«But what about Seungmin?«, Jisung interrupted and stared at the powerful warlock with hopeful eyes. He sighed and seemed to think for a few seconds before shifting his gaze onto Jeongin, who was still calmly sitting on the host’s lap, «Jeongin, I want you to go to the temple nearest from Orlon. Try to find something. Don’t get involved with any trouble – I want you to come back immediately as soon as you’re done or there’s danger ahead, understood?«  
The small fox jumped down from Jisung’s lap and nodded shortly, _«Yes, Master.«_

Jisung wasn’t exactly calm with that but he knew he couldn’t go by himself. Which was why he let Hyunjin do what he thought was the best _for now_.

\-----

Hyunjin’s mansion was beautiful and rustically decorated with ancient belongings, beautiful wooden floors and occasional paintings of detailed landscapes. Jisung should’ve been surprised at one particular picture of a woman in a red dress, who had suddenly started talking and flirting with the host – well, he wasn’t surprised, but refrained from actually talking to her anyways after bowing shortly and moving on a tick faster.  
After wandering around the mansion for at least an hour without knowing where the actual hell he was, Jisung finally tumbled into the biggest library he had ever seen. Not like he had been able to stand in any library in the first place – the only shop that sold books back in Orlon was Mrs. Kim’s town store. And there was literally no one apart from Jisung himself who bought those books. They were mostly old fairy tales Mrs. Kim was able to get from some travellers.

The library was a big room with stairs leading up to three floors, all of the walls filled with books. In the middle of the room stood a big table and there were some vitrines with old books, weapons or even helmets and wands inside. He didn’t know if he was allowed to be in the library but since Hyunjin had dismissed him with the words, _«Go explore and make yourself a home«_, after Jeongin had left, Jisung just shrugged and went to look for some interesting books to read.

He remembered there were a few things he wanted to research and therefore sat down at the table only thirty minutes later with a few books about time, space and magical creatures. Jisung wasn’t used to people, even though he was the host of one of the most visited pubs in Enos. Living alone for almost ten years though made him forget what it felt like to be in a house full of other people. Therefore, it was no surprise that Jisung nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft voice behind him suddenly said, «So you found the library.«

The host probably never whirled around as fast as he did right now, the book held up high as some sort of weapon. A (really embarrassing) _‘Kya’_ left his lips as he drew his book back and full on hit the person behind him. Minho didn’t move an inch, his eyebrow raised in an amused way and his soft lips spreading into a genuine smile. «…I didn’t expect _that_, but I already figured you are kind of cute.«  
If it wasn’t for the extremely interesting book Jisung read right now, he would’ve shouted at Minho for even thinking things like that – he settled with a glare though and turned back around, a sigh pushing through his lungs. «Hyunjin told me to make myself a home. So I did. Am I allowed to be in here?«

Minho walked around Jisung’s chair and leaned his body against the table, his arms crossed, and eyes focused on the pile of books, «Of course you are. It’s not like Hyunjin actually reads those books. And besides, you could use that information to clear your head. What are you reading?«  
«…A book about magical creatures. I was just reading a paragraph relating werewolves…let me tell you, that’s a long ass chapter«, Jisung answered and reopened the page he last read before hitting the warlock with the book. «Did you know that full-blood werewolves usually stay in their pack until they die? Their familiar pack behaviour is extremely rare among magical creatures; loyalty is more important than honour or love.«

His eyes were glued to a picture of young wolves being fed by what he supposed was their mother, «Did you know that turning into a werewolf by a bite is extremely risky? Most people don’t survive the lycanthropy.« Jisung almost didn’t see Minho’s slightly confused frown and his unsure smile, his head nodding up and down in a weird manner, «I…think I’ve never read anything about werewolves since I’ve never had the pleasure to meet one?«  
«I’m sorry«, Jisung said and smiled sheepishly, trying to hide his slight blush, «I tend to get extremely excited when learning new things. You can stop me as soon as you’re too bored. Seungmin always does that.«

The mentioning of his missing friend – though mentioned by himself – immediately made Jisung stiff and worry. He couldn’t help it; Seungmin wasn’t exactly a good fighter (even worse than Jisung), and even though he was used to a lot of weird stuff (which he wasn’t allowed to tell Jisung in detail), the young priest definitely would not be all chill about hellhounds trying to rip his soul out of his body.  
«It’s okay!«, Minho suddenly said, a bright smile lingering on his beautiful face and his cat like eyes looking almost sharp while doing so, «I think some extra information isn’t a bad thing. So tell me all about werewolves you can find, and I’ll ask if there’s something I don’t understand!«

Jisung knew that Minho caught on to his sudden sad behaviour and offered to listen because of that. He smiled though and forced himself to read more about magical creatures, his worried thoughts disappearing slowly and making space for his excited rant about werewolves and fairies.

\-----

«There’s no way fairies can change their skin colour!«, Minho snapped and – for some reason Jisung still didn’t understand – slapped Hyunjin’s head in the process. The warlock flinched and sent an extremely offended glare towards Minho, his nose held high and a pout forming on his lips. It was funny how he always demanded respect from Minho but started acting like a child anyways.   
«I swear I saw it once! He was green, then blue and then he smacked me in the face with brown skin!«, the powerful warlock exclaimed and rubbed the back of his head where Minho hit him.

«I think that there are indeed fairies with different skin colours…«, Ryujin said and took a bite of her cookie Minho had previously made along with Yeji.   
After Jisung had started telling Minho every single thing he deemed interesting enough to actually remember (which basically meant the whole book), the other inhabitants of the fairly big mansion made themselves comfortable around (and on) the table in the library one after another. They had all started listening to Jisung’s lecture and for some reason, Yeji had started calling him a teacher. Hyunjin was not happy about it, instantly complaining about how he had taught her a lot of things too. Yeji’s answer remained a simple _«Yeah but you were useless«_.

Jisung had also figured out a lot of the other’s personality traits while trying to teach them something about magical creatures. Yeji for example was just as disciplined and smart as hyper and honest. Just the way she didn’t mind flipping her master off was funny enough to witness, especially because Hyunjin never dared actually hurting or shouting at her. Ryujin was quieter and reserved but could also share funny stories or not so funny jokes. She never dared speaking up against Hyunjin, though Jisung noticed that she _did_ know how to stand up for herself, especially if she knew there was nothing wrong with what she either said or did. While Hyunjin was rather playful and easy-to-talk to, Jisung knew that he could indeed be strict, powerful and demanding. The sin of pride made him act like a brat more often than he probably noticed himself but above all, he was a good person.

And then there was Minho. He was hard to figure out and even though he seemed to see right through everyone, Jisung never knew what exactly was going on inside his head. He was smiling and laughing with them, asking questions (some dumber than others) messing around (mainly with Hyunjin). Yet, it always seemed like there was something between them. Not only between Jisung and Minho. More like he was purposefully keeping a wall between himself and all other people.   
While Yeji, Ryujin and Hyunjin continued discussing over something as trivial as fairy’s skin, Minho laughed a quiet and calm chuckle right behind Jisung. Sometime during their weird magical creature lecture, the warlock had walked behind the host’s chair, leaning on it and his voice always near. Almost like a dog, watching out for his house.

Jisung had noticed something else about Minho. Besides his rather playful and carefree behaviour, he was always on alert. He never let his guard down and always focused on his surroundings. It was rather weird to Jisung, because when they were at the altar, he obviously didn’t notice the hellhounds until it was almost too late.

A few hours later, everyone decided to go to bed and rest for the next day, Hyunjin staying awake just in case Jeongin would come back this night. Jisung was not used to luxury beds and expensive bedrooms, his own mattress back in Orlon consisting of hay and old shirts. Though, his weird dreams definitely did not come from his unknown surroundings. He was used to this – not being able to sleep or rest properly. Which was why he didn’t even try to force himself to dream weird things again after waking up for the third time in an hour.

He thought a long time about what to do, considered walking around the mansion but figured he would never be able to find his way back to his bedroom on his own. Which was why he decided to examine his room some more. Hyunjin had told him that he could do whatever he wanted – decorate it, try on all of the clothes in the wardrobe. He even said Ryujin would gladly organise a pot and ingredients for him to mix his potions if needed. Though, Jisung had declined the offer with a calm smile, saying that he couldn’t really mix anything useful because of his lack of magical power.

The bedroom Hyunjin had provided for him was medium sized (as he had told him, though, it was still bigger than Jisung’s entire living room which was indeed his bedroom as well). The wooden floor was covered with a big dark green carpet, perfectly matching the dark green wall and bedding. Everything should’ve looked rather rustically, it didn’t though. Maybe because the dark wood shined so brightly and the small but existing golden things on the wall reflected the light of the candles standing on a cute desk right next to the big wardrobe.

It was then that Jisung noticed a weird line in the wall, walking up to it to examine it with careful fingertips sliding over it. He could easily pull off the wallpaper, it seemed like someone already did so long ago anyways. Though, he softly knocked on the wall anyways – just to be sure. It sounded hollow, like there wasn’t a thick brick wall behind the wallpaper. And when he actually pulled it away – cringing at the sight of spider webs and dust being ripped apart in the process – it revealed a perfectly hidden, cute wooden door.

Okay, when Jisung had decided to examine his room, he didn’t expect something like _that_. He wished he’d be skilled in magic anyways because it was locked. Jisung wasn’t exactly one for snooping around or being overly curious but he was tired and needed something to distract himself. So he started looking for the key in his bedroom: he opened every drawer and even his wardrobe, looked inside the pockets of every jacket or trouser he could find there and even risked sparing a glance at some picture’s backside. Though, he couldn’t find any big, rusty keys anywhere.

Frustrated, he almost wanted to go and ask Hyunjin for the key (knowing he’s still awake in the salon), when he stepped onto a creaking floorplate. He stopped and shifted his weigh back and forth, before slowly kneeling down and carefully removing the carpet, revealing an obviously wrong placed, wooden plate. He knocked on it and heard the hollow sound of nothingness again, carefully removing the plate with, yet, another string of spider webs attached to it. And there, in the middle of the small hideout was a small dusty box, some spiders running around and the dim light of the fire reflecting in the few beautifully attached crystals on it.

Jisung carefully pulled it out and pitifully flicked a spider back inside the hole before closing it up and kicking the carpet over it again. He blew over the box and dusted it off, coughing slightly at the amount of dust flying away. Before tracing his fingers over an inscription on the front side of the small box. «…_’Y.J.Y’_…«, he read aloud and shrugged, not being familiar with the initials. He opened it up, revealing a couple of weird things: a tissue with the same initials on it, a letter he could barely read anymore and – at the bottom of it – the rusty, big key he was looking for. Or so, he hoped.

To his luck, the key fit and when he opened the door, Jisung decided he’d need his candle to explore…well, whatever it was he was going to see. Behind the door was another dusty home of several spiders, this time in form of a small spiral staircase. He sighed and started walking upstairs, getting dizzy after walking up the spiral for almost five minutes – until he finally reached the end of it. He looked at yet another door and then at the key in his hand, shrugging and trying it out. He didn’t exactly thing the key would really fit into this lock as well but didn’t complain when he had no problem unlocking the door.

Though, once he finally managed to open it and step out, he almost dropped the candle upon seeing Minho standing in front of him with a sword held high, seemingly about to actually kill him. Jisung yelped (cutely, but he tried not to think about it) and jumped a little bit while Minho blinked confused and lowered the sword with a big sigh. «By all means of Ranera, Jisung! Are you insane?!«  
«Me?!«, he said and pointed at the sword with his free hand, «I thought you’ll end me!«

Minho sighed again and stepped aside, fully letting Jisung into what seemed to be Minho’s bedroom. The host remembered the warlock telling him he’d sleep on the fifth floor – so Jisung actually walked up three floors! «I thought you’re Hyunjin, trying to annoy me«, Minho said and looked at the key in Jisung’s hand, «And I also thought that this key was missing. How did you find out about the secret path?«  
The warlock stopped mid-sentence and frowned with a worried glance onto the big grandfather clock in his room, «Wait, why are you awake anyways? It’s almost three in the morning.«

Jisung smiled nervously, «I couldn’t sleep cause of my body being a bitch. Basically. So I decided to snoop around a little and found this. I didn’t know I’d find you too though.«  
«Well, this is an old mansion«, Minho answered and made an inviting gesture towards a small seating area, «Legends have it that the goddess of nature used to reside here.«

A surprised sound left Jisung’s mouth as he sat down onto one of the blue chairs – Minho’s bedroom was beautiful, to say the least. While Minho set up some tea – which was no problem for a warlock, obviously – the host decided to look around the room. There was no carpet covering the dark wooden floor, though it didn’t feel like there should be one. The bedroom pretty much looked exactly the same as Jisung’s, apart from the colour combination; instead of a majestic green-gold attire, Minho’s bedroom was coloured in dark blue and silver. Though it should’ve looked kind of dark and cold, the colour actually suited him for some really weird reason. Jisung liked his bedroom. He felt warm and welcomed. It was tidy and organized but still looked like his room.

There were books about magic piled up in two big bookshelves covering one whole wall. The small table with a whole clean beautiful (and probably expensive) tea set fit into the room like it was meant to be here. Just like the chimney, softly emitting a dim light right in front of the two chairs, in one of which Jisung was currently sitting on.

It looked perfectly normal. There was nothing too personal, but it still clearly was Minho’s room. Just like the warlock himself – a whole secret, a whole riddle to be solved.

Minho calmly sat down the cups onto the small wooden table between them and the chimney, taking a seat in the other chair next to Jisung. The cups were a cute rosé with small white flowers on it. It was so uncharacteristically cute but yet again the perfect set of tea cups for Lee Minho.   
«I made some chamomile tea to calm us down. I wanted to do so anyways, hence why I’m still awake«, the warlock explained and smiled reassuringly at Jisung. The host just nodded and watched him add two sugar cubes into his tea. Jisung never really cared about his tea or coffee being too sweet or bitter since he couldn’t afford the luxury of actually being picky. But if he would’ve been able _to be_ picky, he would prefer his tea sweet rather than bitter.

How Minho had known about that though…that was a mystery to Jisung. Maybe his excellent chef sense kind of made him feel it. Or he just caught Jisung staring at the sugar cubes one time too often.  
«So…«, Minho said while mixing the tea with his spoon, «…you said you can’t sleep because of your body…?«  
Jisung sighed, «Ah…yes. Ever since I’m a kid, I tend to dream weird things and sleepwalk. I used to go collect herbs for difficult potions I couldn’t even make, even today. So my parents went to a wizard back then, who mixed a special potion I have to drink every month to use against this weird…sleep behaviour. It usually helps but it didn’t really show any effect this month. And since I should’ve drank it again like a week ago, my insomnia is returning.«

Minho started frowning, setting his tea down next to Jisung’s cup – probably to let it cool out some more. «You’re…a really weird sorcerer. I’ve never met someone like you. So you can’t actually use magic or mix any useful potions, but when you’re sleepwalking, you’re collecting herbs for potions? That doesn’t really make sense…«  
«Well…I got used to it. I can survive a few days with only two hours of sleep. It’s not healthy but I can’t afford the luxury of closing my pub more than once a week«, Jisung answered plainly and stared at the fire to avoid Minho’s magenta eyes. He didn’t really know why his eyes started shining in his significant colour because usually, warlocks and wizards only showed their colour when they were either out of control or using their magic. It wasn’t like Jisung was scared. Just that something about Minho’s eye colour was strangely…affecting him.

He did not care to elaborate and decided to change the topic. «What about you? I figured that Hyunjin is affine to earth. But I’m curious about _your_ affinity.«  
Minho smirked slightly, his typical Minho smirk no one could pull off but himself. It should’ve looked smug or arrogant, yet, it didn’t. Which annoyed Jisung for no reason. Damn this guy and his handsome face. «You’d love to know, huh«, the warlock answered and chuckled, «What to you think is my affinity?«

How in the world was Jisung supposed to know? If Minho would’ve been one of the seven powerful warlocks, he would’ve said darkness. Because his magenta was dark, almost purple and nothing like the bright pink people usually thought of when hearing the word. Though, he wasn’t. And therefore, Jisung couldn’t just assign him to some stereotype.

The seven warlocks and the ten great wizards all had a significant colour, representing their affinity to an element and the characteristic traits they got with the sin or command (depending on if they were a warlock or a wizard of course). Normal sorcerers though were born with just a random colour; so basically, Minho could be affine to air, even with magenta eyes and even though it totally didn’t seem like it.

Jisung groaned, «How would I know? It could be anything!«  
«Well…then I guess you just have to be surprised…don’t you?«, Minho answered and took a sip of his now slightly cooled down tea.


	6. locating potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with chapter six!  
I think you'll definitely look forward to the next chapter though...:DD
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and supporting! Leave a comment if you have questions or want to clarify any of your theories, I'm always open to answer and maybe even spoil something :3 of course, critics are welcome as well so if you see anything that bothers you, tell me and I'll try to work on it! <33

**Locating potion;  
I promise, this isn’t as stupid as it may sound. Just like there are spells to locate someone’s exact position, there are also potions which serve this purpose. Though, they are a lot more…difficult to handle. While a wizard just needs to do some bibidibabidibo on a belonging of the missing person, potion makers have to feed it to this person. You may ask yourself now: how the freakin’ freckles am I supposed to do that when the person is missing?! Well, this potion is ridiculously difficult to make (you should keep in mind that adding a hair, of the supposed person to drink it, must be in the potion or else it’s useless). But (and it’s a big _but_), once you’ve done it, it’ll lead you to your missing person without any difficulties or flaws and the effect of it is holding on for a month. This potion is not supposed to be a quick solution or a one-time trick, but a long-lasting security help.   
But giving someone a locating potion without the self-made tool is probably just as useful as a carriage without wheels. What? What a tool is? Read about that on the tool-page.**

Jisung was nervous. He knew that Jeongin returned the second his (considerably) weak magic reacted to a twist in space. Not only because he was obviously not sleeping well, but also because Jeongin’s magic kind of…stuck with him. It had it’s own weird…charm to it. Like a signature, a vibe only Jeongin could have. So when he felt – in his really bad and light sleep – that Jeongin opened a door through space somewhere near him, he immediately woke up.

After his little talk with Minho yesterday (or more like this night, since they both only fell asleep at almost 5am), he was actually able to get some rest in his bed. A quick glance onto his clock told him that he didn’t sleep more than three hours though.

When he stepped inside the salon, Hyunjin and Jeongin were discussing something rather eagerly and once they noticed him, Jisung felt the dread spread inside of him. He wanted to know what Jeongin knows. But he was also scared that the young fox wasn’t any wiser than before. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear what the nine-tailed fox had to tell him or if he’d rather have it if the youngest didn’t have any information at all.

Jeongin’s ears twitched when he set his eyes on Jisung, his tails nervously moving around each other in the weirdest way, _«Hyung! I have…good and bad news!«_  
The young fox’s voice seemed to echo through Jisung’s head. That already did not sound really promising. Before the host could even do so much as answer, Hyunjin rubbed his temples and invited them to sit by the chimney. He ordered Jeongin to go wake up the others because apparently, he didn’t want to explain it all again to those who weren’t here. Waiting for Yeji to finally wake up and join them in the salon was a pain for Jisung, his whole body itching to hear what kind of bad and good news Jeongin had for them.

He didn’t intent to glare at Yeji once she finally sat down next to Ryujin (while complaining about being tired), though he kind of couldn’t stop himself.

With a sigh, Hyunjin nodded and gave Jeongin permission to finally tell them about his short night journey back to Orlon. The nine-tailed fox jumped around eagerly until finally settling down on the small coffee table – though, he was small enough to fit onto it without any problem.   
_«Okay, so…I’ll start at the beginning: when I arrived at the last place, I was able to remember, it was actually quiet. I stepped out of space on Jisung-hyung’s balcony, where I teleported myself and Minho to rescue him«_, he made a brief pause, seemingly thinking about where he should continue his story, _«Orlon was dead. Like…really, there was no one left. The fog had been gone by the time I arrived. I did as master had told me and straight went to look for the temple. And it was utterly destroyed – all the walls were broken down and I found a lot of people…dead. Though, I couldn’t find anyone who looked like you described Seungmin.«_

Jisung swallowed the lump in his throat. Jeongin not finding Seungmin was a good thing, wasn’t it? Because apparently, whatever hit the temple, destroyed and killed everything and everyone. Though…if Seungmin wasn’t dead, _where was he?_

Jeongin continued after being sure no one wanted to say or ask anything yet, _«I found a chamber with his name on it, which was really hard considering there were traces of hellhounds everywhere. I guess they were there to find someone – but as far as I could see, they didn’t find their target yet. Or at least not in the temple. I picked up Seungmin’s scent and followed it. I got to the border of Rogrus but lost his scent there…«_

«Rogrus? The fairy lands?«, Hyunjin questioned and frowned, «Why would he go there? That’s ridiculous. Did he have any fairy friends?«  
Jisung shook his head lightly, just as confused as everyone else, «Seungmin never left Orlon, just like me. We were both born in this town and he wasn’t allowed to leave the temple more than once a week, sometimes not even that.«

The nine-tailed fox sighed in their head, an obviously disappointed sigh, _«I’m really sorry, Jisung-hyung. I wanted to follow his scent but I’m not really on good terms with fairies. And to top it all off, Rogrus isn’t exactly known for being a welcoming kingdom. Master ordered me to stay out of trouble and I lost his scent…I’m really sorry.«_

Jisung would’ve loved to blame someone for the disappearance of his best and only friend but he couldn’t. Not only because Jeongin was the literal epitome of innocence and kindness, but also because _it simply wasn’t any_ _of their faults_. He mimicked the sigh and shook his head lightly, «I mean…you tried and did everything you could. And I’m thankful for that.«  
The young fox seemed to brighten up at the host’s words. He jumped down from the table and onto Jisung’s lap again, turning around and showing him one of his nine tails eagerly. Jisung needed a few seconds to recognize the green scarf – he had gifted it to Seungmin three years ago in winter, when Mrs. Kim had forced him to learn how to knit your own clothes. As always, Seungmin had acted like he _‘didn’t need that useless thing’_ but ended up wearing it almost all the time, until Jisung had told him in mid-July that it was too hot for a knitted scarf and he should stop wearing it in summer and spring.  
_«I found it in…well…what was left of his chambers. It was also what I used to follow his scent, but I figured that Master could try to locate him with this?«_, Jeongin explained and turned back around once Jisung had the scarf in his hands.

It was a weird feeling – Seungmin wasn’t dead yet. At least as far as they knew. But he wasn’t alive either; as far as they knew. He could be heavily injured or perfectly fine though they had no idea at all.  
Minho – who stood behind Jisung’s armchair _again_ (he really didn’t know why the warlock kept doing that) – reached over to examine the scarf some more before saying, «You said you have good and bad news. I assume that figuring out Seungmin is probably in Rogrus right now was the good news…right?«

Jeongin nodded his head, barely visible in his fox-form. Jisung wondered for a few seconds if he was healthy enough to actually go back to his human-form or if he just preferred the fox-form. He didn’t know and simply stopped caring when Jeongin answered, _«Yes, Hyung. The bad news is…rather unsettling.«_  
Yet again, that ugly feeling spread in Jisung’s body and he honestly just wanted to cover his ears for the following words. Though, he knew, he had to hear it. And had to know it, whatever it was.   
_«The hellhounds are still running around. So whatever they are looking for…they haven’t been able to catch it yet.«_

\-----

«Are you sure that you want me to come with you…?«, Jisung questioned and watched as Minho put on his black boots. The warlock had told him that it was very cold in Rogrus, to which Jisung had answered a petty _‘you don’t say’_. Rogrus – the fairy’s kingdom – was north-east from Enos and cornered by a circle of mountains and the great northern cliffs, building the border to the North Sea. Jisung had only ever seen the massive wall he knew as the border of the thunder mountains – the mountains keeping people from invading the fairy’s kingdom. Zotuna’s temple was located at the foot of the thunder mountains. There was only one path to Rogrus from Enos, which was a three-day march away, east from Orlon’s borders. The town’s eldest had always warned the kids of the east, always warned the people from entering the mountain fields of Rogrus. The thunder mountains didn’t really belong to either Enos nor Rogrus, though, they were very dangerous and nothing someone without experience or even the slightest doubts should enter. After all, the fairies were a…very shy and unwelcoming folk.

For some weird reason – despite Jisung telling Minho and Jeongin that he was not a good fighter, nor a wizard or of any help – the warlock wanted him to join them. Desperately.

Hyunjin wasn’t really happy about that decision but decided to accept Minho’s argument, saying that Jisung was the only one who knew how Seungmin actually looked like. Though, that wasn’t really enough of an argument for Jisung.   
«Seungmin wouldn’t just follow us, so we need you there to assure him«, Minho answered and turned around to pick a warm shirt. Jisung groaned and tried not to be faced by Minho’s muscles or the fact that he just so decided to change in front of him. They were currently in the warlock’s bedroom, Jisung desperately trying to change his mind. Because even though he was worried about Seungmin and yes, at first, wanted to go rescue him all by himself, he was too much of a coward to actually face fairies. He didn’t really believe the stories of the town’s eldest, saying that fairies were bloody creatures and killed anyone who wasn’t of their kind within in an instant. But that didn’t mean that Jisung didn’t know about their lack of trust in other folks or their general preference of not having to deal with sorcerers…at all.  
«I can give you something from me. Then he’ll know you and Jeongin know me«, Jisung answered and knew how dumb that sounded the second he said it.

«Do you want him to believe we _killed_ you?«, Minho said and turned around, adjusting the leather belt around his upper body. Jisung didn’t even know when he decided to put those on. Or why. At least until he watched him attaching knives and bottles to it. Okay, that was really genius after all.  
He forced himself to concentrate on their discussion rather than staring at…_the knives_. Definitely the knives, not Minho. _The knives_.   
No wait. _The conversation_, «I’ll be in your way.«

Minho obviously started to get annoyed with Jisung’s arguments, «I’ll watch out for you.«  
«That’s exactly the problem!«, the host said and followed the warlock when he decided to groan and walk out of his bedroom with a bag and his cloak draped over his free arm. Jisung tried to catch up with his fast steps, at this point probably just as annoyed as Minho. «You can’t go to the fairy’s kingdom, probably in order to save a person who may or may not be injured while having to look out for me!«

It was really hard to keep up with Minho’s pace, considering he had longer legs and knew where he actually had to go. Jisung literally stumbled down the stairs behind him and almost bumped inside his back when the warlock stopped on the last step, Jisung realizing that they were now on the first floor. He swallowed when Minho turned around to look at him, their faces only inches apart and the host for once just as tall as the warlock because he stood on a higher step on the stairs. For some reason, Minho had that glint of magenta in his eyes again.  
«I can’t watch out for you if you aren’t by my side. So stop complaining, change into something warm and join me and Jeongin in the teleportation room«, there was zero to no space to argue anything else, Jisung couldn’t bring himself to disobey Minho.

He only started to question the warlock’s words when he draped a (high quality) winter cloak over his shoulders, staring at his own reflection with a confused frown, «…Why would he need to…watch out for me in the first place?«

Once he stepped inside the teleportation room, he was almost knocked over by someone who went to hug him out of nowhere. «Hyung! Look, Master gave me back my human-form!«  
Honestly, Jisung didn’t know why Jeongin was so…warm and touchy towards him. It wasn’t like he knew him for a very long time. Not like he didn’t enjoy the kind of relationship they seemed to have; Jeongin was like that younger brother Jisung never had. He had to admit though, he had missed the boy in his human-form – his cute braces, the beret and his…wait-…  
«Where are your nine tails?«, he questioned and stared at that one lonely fox tail with a puzzled expression. Hyunjin appeared next to his loyal spirit and explained, «Jeongin-ie can hide them for the purpose of not standing out. The fairies will probably recognize his magic after some time, but he won’t stick out like a rainbow-coloured dog.«

That made sense. It didn’t sooth Jisung’s worries, but it made sense.   
«Listen, you don’t have to be worried«, Hyunjin said while looking him in the eyes with a warm smile. Sometimes, the powerful warlock actually seemed like the older person he was; at least when he didn’t shout and whine for no particular reason, «I wasn’t trying to stop Minho from taking you with him because I’m worried about him not succeeding – he’s one of the best warlock’s I know and I know a lot of sorcerers. And besides, you’re needed; not only because Seungmin probably won’t trust a random warlock and his nine-tailed fox friend. But also because fairies tend to listen to normal people more than…well, sorcerers.«

_Jisung was a sorcerer_. But no one actually knew that. Only strong fairies were able to actually sense the small amount of magic inside of him – just like sorcerers could only sense it when they were actively touching him for a minute. He was nothing more than a human with a few weird abilities.   
A sigh left his lips, «I know. But uhm…I have a request. We won’t be able to teleport inside of Rogrus. So can I go get some things from my house first? It won’t take long…«

Hyunjin spared a glance towards Jeongin, who shrugged and smiled at Minho. The warlock nodded shortly, «Yes. I was intending to do so anyways. Now, let’s go – I don’t want to be out there for longer than needed…«  
While Jisung prepared himself to jump through the portal with Jeongin and Minho hand in hand (because he would obviously get lost in time and space with his lack of experience), the nine-tailed fox jumped up and down in excitement, «Yes! _‘Operation: Rescue Seungmin-ie’_ finally started!«

\-----

Even though Jisung had experienced the feeling of travelling through space two times already, he felt like he’ll never get used to it. He immediately stumbled over his own feet and had to catch himself at the railings of his balcony when they arrived at the point Minho had last teleported himself to with Jeongin’s help. His vision was blurry, and he only started to realize where exactly they were when he heard Minho behind him, a soothing hand on his shoulder, «You okay? I think it was the first time you actually teleported without being in a hurry. I promise you’ll get used to it after some time.«  
«I’m fine…«, Jisung mumbled and shook his head, accepting the water bottle Jeongin offered with his usual smile, «I’m glad your back to be a human. I really missed your smile.«

Jeongin smiled even brighter (if that was humanly possible), «Thanks, Jisung-hyung! I missed it as well, life as a human is easier in many ways!«

The cheerfulness of the nine-tailed fox almost distracted Jisung from what was actually going on around them. The last time Jisung was in Orlon, there was fog anywhere and you couldn’t even see your own feet. Now though, just as Jeongin had said, the fog was completely gone and Jisung could actually see the state of his hometown. _Dead_, which was Jeongin’s description of Orlon, wasn’t even enough to actually describe the state of it.

It was the first time Jisung could actually see all of the town, people frozen to shadows of themselves, bodies slowly withering away in the cold autumn breeze. There were absolutely no sounds, no birds, no children running around and laughing, not even the water wheel could be heard anymore. The only thing Jisung’s ears caught was the quiet whistling of the wind, flying around them, howling through broken windows and moving open doors and windows.

Jisung forced himself to turn around and get inside his house to get his things and leave this place as fast as possible. The broken window of his balcony was a faint memory of the hellhound that almost killed them all, especially Jeongin. It triggered different feelings inside of Jisung, one of them being the instinct to throw a fit and destroy the remains of his house. Though, as soon as he stepped inside, the broken glass scrunching under his feet, Jisung felt like curling up on his broken bed and crying for hours over all the things he lost. His bedroom was a mess, probably because of the hellhound going totally berserk.

The deafening silence was interrupted by Jeongin’s honey voice, though Jisung clearly heard the barely hidden sadness in it, «Do you want us to help you? We’re faster when we work together…«  
Jisung wanted to thank him and say something, his lips didn’t move though and instead, he just nodded stiffly. Obviously, that didn’t tell his friends what exactly they needed to get for him. He forced himself to concentrate and took a deep breath before saying, «Minho you know where I keep my potion mixture things. There’s a bag in there, big enough to fit the herbs and some potions. Focus on the more useful ones, like…uhm…healing potions, calming potions…things like that.«  
While the warlock nodded and went ahead (though, hesitating with a worried look towards Jisung), the host turned to look at Jeongin, «And uhm…I have some food and bottles of water in my kitchen. Take a bag or try to fit anything in your own that is still eatable. When you’re done, join Minho downstairs. I’ll…meet you when I’m done here.«

He purposefully didn’t specify how long _‘when I’m done here’ _would take. Because in all honesty, Jisung didn’t know either. It was really hard for him to focus on getting the important things. The only time he had ever questioned what he would actually take with him in a situation like this was when Seungmin and him graduated school and went partying with their seven classmates (this was a town after all, there weren’t many students). A girl named Shinhwa had asked him when they were playing truth or dare (yeah, cliché), which three things he’d rescue from his house if he’d had to escape for some reason. Even back then he had to think about his answer very long. There were so many things seemingly precious to him that he actually asked them to keep on going and he’d answer the next time it’s his turn.   
Jisung couldn’t even remember what he had answered. There was only one thing he would never forget, the only thing that would make him challenge everything as long as he could get it. With certain steps and a sigh leaving his mouth, the host went to open a drawer next to his bed.

His fingers almost immediately embraced the relict his mother had given to him when he was barely able to remember things, a memory of almost forgotten, peaceful times pacing through Jisung’s thoughts…

~~~

_«…right in front of the dragon’s majestic tomb, the brave farmer’s boy was met with the tallest and most dangerous creature he probably ever witnessed!«, his father exclaimed with big eyes and arms spread wide, as if he wanted to show his dearest son how big the creature was.   
«The dragon, though, will be even more dangerous«, Jisung heard his mother interrupt her husband with a playful glint in her eyes, chuckling when the father groaned and complained about how his wife could never let him tell the story the way he wanted to. The relationship of Jisung’s parents was something similar to _frenemies_, as they often told Jisung themselves. He was barely old enough to understand the meaning behind a friend, though he felt like he wanted someone like his father had in his mother as well – someone funny and calm, someone who’s always there for you._

_It was eight in the evening and just like every Sunday night, Jisung got praised for doing well in school and helping so much in their family-business, their cute and small but always full pub. Of course, considering Jisung was only five years old, he couldn’t really help that much yet. But he was good at entertaining their guests and sometimes even playing with the kids or occasionally getting some vegetables or eggs from the market on his way back home from school. His reward for doing great and being a good boy always was another part of his favourite good night story; the story of the brave farmer’s boy, who had to conquer different obstacles on his journey to find the healing water of the legend._

_Jisung was a smart kid and knew that the story was simply made out of his parents head – maybe a story their own parents told them when they were children themselves?   
Whenever Jisung did something good or just went through the week without misbehaving in any way, his parents told him another part of the story, continuing from where they ended the last Sunday. Today was yet another day and Jisung knew that the chapter was almost over.  
«The creature had dark fur, teeth as sharp as knives and eyes as red as rubies«, his father finally continued, obviously back in story-mode, «”This must be the dark creature, guarding the dragon’s cave”, the boy said and braced himself, his loyal fire jinn Julia shifted into a wolf just as big as the hound, her melodic voice ringing in the boy’s head, “I’ll deal with that hound. Stay back!”. She attacked, the boy obeying her orders and hiding behind a rock, focused on his jinn friend. Julia fought and fought, her magic pouring out and at some point, finally, getting rid of the hound. She turned to look at the farmer’s boy with a smile, shifting back into her human form, “Now…shall we enter?«, she said, and they got ready to enter the tomb…«_

_Soft hands ruffled Jisung’s hair as his father smiled his sweet smile and stood up, «That’s it for today, champ.«  
Jisung pouted, «But I’m curious!« - «Patience, dear. It’s time to sleep, you have school to attend tomorrow«, his mother scolded and gave her son a kiss on the forehead, when someone knocked on their door. His parents shared a look of nervousness. _

_«Now…«, his father said while his mother went to open the door. He had an unsure shadow over his eyes, the light of joy gone, «Time to sleep. See you tomorrow, champ.«  
He blew off the candle next to Jisung’s bed and closed the bedroom door behind him. Jisung really tried to fall asleep but it was hard once he heard his parents talking loudly with someone. And after that, talking loudly to each other. It must’ve been around midnight when his bedroom door opened again and his mother silently came inside, sitting down on the floor next to Jisung’s bed. He tried to act as if he was actually asleep, knowing he was supposed to do so. Though, it didn’t seem like his mother was here to check on him. He could hear a broken sigh and her warm hand softly brushing some of his blonde hair out of the way. «My pure little Jisung-ie«, she whispered and then placed something below his pillow. Jisung could feel her long, brown hair touching his cheeks and forced himself not to laugh at the ticklish feeling. His thoughts were interrupted by something wet falling onto his cheeks though, his ears catching the sound of a soft sob. _

_It was then that he finally realized it; his mother was crying. _

_«My beautiful, beautiful boy«, she whispered past a sob, her shaking fingers once again running through his hair, «Don’t worry, Jisung-ie. This will guide you. This will always protect you and tell you what to do. No matter what happens, no matter which situation – it will always light your way.«_

_When Jisung woke up next morning, there were three things different from usual. The first thing was the talisman his mother put under his pillow. When he asked his mother about it, she smiled a soft smile and answered, «It’s a family relict, dear. Keep it close to your heart in times of need.«  
The second thing he noticed was his mother’s behaviour. She smiled and talked, prepared her son for school and did what she always did. But she wasn’t…herself. Her beautiful smile was tight, her eyes held a sadness and void Jisung wasn’t used to.   
And the third thing he noticed, only stood out to him when he went to bed this evening, patiently waiting for his father to kiss him good night just like his mother did. And he fell asleep, already knowing the answer to his question; why his father didn’t kiss him good night. Why his mother acted so weird last night. _

_Because when Jisung woke up the next day. And the day after tomorrow. And all of the following days to come – his father was gone. _

_Jisung never saw him again. And he also never got to hear the end of the farmer’s boy and his loyal jinn friend’s story._

~~~

He shook his head at the memory and focused on his surroundings, swallowing the sadness coming up from the depths of his heart. His fingers softly ran over the surface of the dark red stone hanging on a silver chain. It was beautiful, no doubt. And just like his mother had told him, Jisung used to wear the necklace close to his heart in times of need.   
He forced himself to calm down, and put it on, hiding the stone beneath his clothes and then continuing to grab the things he needed the most. His eyes almost went over it but just as he was about to leave his bedroom and join Minho and Jeongin downstairs, he saw the dark green whistle Jinyoung had given to him. He didn’t even know if the guard was still alive. But Jisung just shrugged and decided to take the whistle with him anyways.

\-----

Once he finally joined the other two in his really badly destroyed pub, he noticed the chaos they were both in. Minho stood on top of the bar with a fearful look on his face while Jeongin was running around with an abnormal speed in his fox form as it seems, his nine tails knocking over stools and sometimes even tables. It seemed like he was eager to catch a small mouse, Jisung wasn’t sure if it was because Jeongin’s inner fox came through or because Minho was obviously scared as hell.

Without any trouble, Jisung stood in front of the mouse when it passed him and made it stop, leaning down to take it into his hands. The mouse was shaking with fear and even more so when Jeongin almost jumped up into Jisung’s body to get the mouse. The fox stopped though and a blinding light later, he was in his human form again, «Oh! Hyung! You caught it!«  
«D-Did he really? Is the thing gone?«, Minho said and slowly lifted his hidden face to look around. Jisung almost forgot about the other’s fear of insects – though, this clearly wasn’t an insect.

«Minho«, Jisung said and caught the warlock’s attention, holding up the mouse in his hand which was immediately running up his arm to hide from Jeongin’s excited glint in his eyes. Definitely his inner fox wanting to play a little more. «Are you scared of a little mouse now too?«  
The warlock froze on his spot and stared at the small thing on Jisung’s shoulder before getting a deep shade of red and clearing his voice, not so prideful climbing down from the bar.  
«I-…I thought it’s…a cockroach«, he mumbled and looked away from Jisung’s sceptical gaze.  
He didn’t know if he should laugh or pity the warlock. Instead, he decided to be shocked and confused, «This is clearly a mouse! How could you not see this?! And what about you Jeongin?!«

«Oh, I knew it’s a mouse from the beginning on«, the nine-tailed fox answered with the most innocent smile ever seen on his childish face, «But Minho-hyung is really funny when he’s scared of bugs. It’s entertaining. And I like chasing bugs!«  
_What is he, a fox or a dog_, Jisung thought and sighed. He grabbed the mouse and placed her in front of his pub, the small thing running off in an instant. Poor mouse probably had the biggest shock of it’s life. He grabbed the bag Minho had filled with potions and added the spelling book of his father and the whistle to it before draping it over his shoulder, right under his thick coat.   
«Let’s go…the sun already rose; we need to hurry.«

\-----

Enos was a kingdom of earth and water, ruled by those two goddess a long time ago. There were a lot of wide, open fields and woods, just as rivers and one lake. The open landscapes were hard to travel during summer because of the draining sun, though it also provided a soft breeze. Luckily for them, summer was running off into break and it was the end of August, autumn nearing. Orlon wasn’t far from the border of Rogrus – three days. Which wasn’t much for Jisung.

But Minho kept complaining, «I’m just not used to this. There is nature everywhere – no city or carriage in sight! How is this even possible? Why didn’t we borrow another carriage?!«  
Of course, that’s what Jisung had also thought. Which was why he wasn’t leading his friends towards the direct border, but to an old farm a little bit off-road. When him and Seungmin were younger, they were looking for trouble – of course, young teenage boys couldn’t possibly think of any other hobbies but breaking rules and annoying adults. Though, Seungmin wasn’t really fond of Jisung’s ideas when they were twelve, he decided to join him anyways because, _apparently_, Jisung couldn’t watch out for himself. Which was a total lie – every time they went to do something adventurous, Seungmin almost started crying because of every single thing.

On one of their adventures, they found this small, lost and abundant house. They figured it used to be a small farm a long time ago – though, no one lived there anymore. If there was one thing Jisung still remembered – besides his numerous adventures with Seungmin of course – it was that there also stood a broken carriage. Since neither Jisung or Seungmin could use magic or knew how to fix a carriage (though, Jisung knew that by now), they never got to use it. Nonetheless, the abundant farm became their secret hideout and own small home.   
With years passing and other things getting more important, they both started to have their own things to do. And when Seungmin started his studies at the temple, their bare visits and meet-ups in their home eventually stopped. The host himself hadn’t been there in almost four years now.

Which was why he breathed a relieved sigh once he spotted the small farm house from the distance. It seemed like there were no people, just as expected.  
He turned to look at Minho with a fond smile on his face, trying not to laugh at his tired posture – he obviously was tired of all the green fields, as it seemed. Damn city people. «Don’t worry, Hyung. I thought of a way to make your life easier.«

Minho frowned and stared at the house in front of them when they trespassed the broken, wooden gate, «…It’s barely nine in the morning, do you expect us to rest here or…?«  
«No, silly«, Jisung said and walked around the house to find the broken carriage, all of its adjusting pieces which had broken off laying next or on it, «The carriage. We can fix it and then travel faster.«  
The warlock nodded slowly and folded his arms, «Theoretically spoken; yes, I _can_ fix it with my magic in the blink of an eye. But how do you expect us to drive a carriage _without a_ _horse_?«

Even before Jisung could open his mouth to answer, Jeongin – who had already ran over to the carriage to examine it – shouted: «It’s a magic carriage, Hyung!«  
Minho stopped and stared at the carriage in utter disbelieve, «A magic carriage?! How did this end up here?!«  
Jisung shrugged and told him about how he and Seungmin had found it a few years ago, but never got to use it. Magical carriages were a clever invention of an anonymous sorcerer who was providing Ifith with genius things. It was a vehicle of magical power, which meant it didn’t need a horse to work. As long as you were able to use magic, you can easily connect yourself to the vehicle and use it as long as your magical power allows you to. It used to be very popular a few years ago, though, it’s popularity sank and eventually disappeared when people started complaining about not being able to use it long enough. The idea never died down though, the mysterious inventor came up with another prototype with better ideas. Those vehicles were mostly used in cities or richer countries. Enos wasn’t exactly known to be a kingdom full of prosperity after all.

In other words, this vehicle was a long-forgotten prototype and could still be used by Minho. The warlock sighed and nodded, cracking his bones on his hand and twisting his shoulders as if he wanted to prepare himself for a fist fight, «Alright then. Let’s fix this and get moving. How long does it take for us to get to the border with the vehicle?«

Jisung merely shrugged, «I’m not exactly sure, I’ve never been there. But I guess…maybe one and a half day? Depending on your magical power. You need to rest from time to time and we can’t enter the fairy woods with you being drained of magic.«  
Minho nodded and closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating on the vehicle as it’s pieces started to stir and dark magenta coloured magic started flying around it, «Yeah…you’re right.«

\-----

As soon as the magic carriage was fixed, they didn’t spare another second and hopped on, Minho connecting his body to the carriage with a special magical tool, which was invented to slowly drain his magic and use it as propulsion. The ride was long and indeed tiring, not only for Minho (obviously), but also for Jeongin and Jisung. Sitting and driving over unfinished and bumpy streets, with barely any breaks and only occasional stops for Minho to rest properly, was indeed draining in more than just one way.

It was definitely noticeable that they were driving towards a region that people tried to avoid. On their second day and after their night rest, the sky turned darker and the air got colder with every meter they descended further into the mountain regions and nearer to the entrance to Rogrus. The thunder mountains held their name for a reason after all. Legends told the story about the great castle of one of the powerful warlocks being hidden somewhere in the wild and stormy heights of the thunder mountains. When Jisung asked Minho if Hyunjin or maybe even him knew about that, the warlock shrugged and shook his head.

At some point, the way towards Rogrus got really narrow and they had to leave their carriage behind, Jeongin saying he’ll create a space-link to it just in case they’d need to leave Rogrus and get back to the carriage for some reason. The wind was strong, and the sky was clouded, darkness covering the sun even though it was midday. Jisung felt a chill running down his spine as soon as they saw the border at the end of the narrow way: it almost looked like the gate to hell, the border so obviously visible that people usually decided against the idea of actually entering the fairy lands. Trees circled the way and the mountain’s walls laminated it like a ravine.  
«Just to clarify«, Minho said and turned to look at Jeongin, «Are you _really_, a hundred and fifty percent sure…that Seungmin went _this_ way?«

The nine-tailed fox looked towards the entrance and sniffled the air again, his brown eyes glazing over with gold for a second before nodding, «Yes, Hyung. It’s faint by now but I’m certain.«  
«Okay, then let’s get started…«

Minho held his hand out to Jeongin, who took the green, knitted scarf out of his bag – the scarf Jisung had given to Seungmin. The warlock closed his eyes and laid his hand on the soft fabric, murmuring enchantments and foreign words before opening his magenta glowing eyes and finishing the incantation, _«I order thee to lead the way, **invenio**.«_

The scarf started glowing in Minho’s dark purplish colour and the next second, there were sparkling, light pink traces leading the way inside the ravine, «Well…let’s go, shall we?«

Jisung was nervous, a feeling of pure magic going straight through his body as soon as they trespassed the border. He was even afraid someone felt them entering the fairy lands, that’s how powerful the magic in those woods was.   
«The fairies are protecting their woods and lands, circling Rogrus with a special shield. It does not notify or actually protect them in any way but keeps evil and dark magic out of their kingdom. Creatures of hell like hellhounds are unable to trespass their borders«, Minho explained and Jisung nodded in understanding, watching a dead leaf fall to the ground next to him.

This forest was dark and Jisung was sure that – even if the sun would actually shine here – it wouldn’t be able to get through those trees. Even the branches were heavily intertwined with each other, building a tunnel of trees above their way.

Honestly, Jisung didn’t know for how long they were already walking – the only reason he was starting to think that they were walking for at least five hours now was the darkness slowly circling them. With the day ending, it got even more difficult to see something. Luckily, Minho was able to light the way with a simple spell, a self-moving light bulb flying in front of them. And, of course, the locating spell also kind of lit their way. Not much, but it did.  
«Night is coming«, Jeongin whispered and Jisung watched his ears twitch, probably hearing things neither him nor Minho were able to catch with their human senses.

«I’d love to tell you guys we should find a place to rest but I don’t feel like this woods are save enough to actually sleep in«, Minho said and stopped, turning around to look at Jisung and Jeongin, «Or what do you think?«  
Jisung knew nothing about those woods – only legends and myths, no actual facts. People had often told him about the creatures wandering at night. Sirens trying to lure lost men inside to feed, werewolves on their hunt and…much worse. Though, the host was almost certain most of them were lies.  
Well – the siren part sounded accurate. «I suggest we try to get out of the forest and mountain area first«, Jisung said and watched the warlock nod in agreement.

And just like that, they continued walking and followed the path Seungmin took.

Unfortunately, it seemed like wherever the hell Seungmin went wasn’t out of the forest. Oh no, quite the opposite actually; they went more and more into the woods, at some point Minho’s magic leading them off the path they were walking on through a really hardly seen split in the walls of the mountain behind of a couple of trees. When they fought their way through the crevice, Minho grunted in disapproval, «…«  
«What?«, Jisung said, his voice oddly loud in the silence of the night. The air was cold, and he felt droplets of the drizzling rain hitting his face.   
They continued following the pink way of the locating spell, «I really don’t like where this is going…«, Minho answered after some time.

«I know what you mean, Hyung«, Jeongin silently agreed, «It’s weird. Seungmin never trespassed the border. How could he possibly find a crevice like this on his own?«  
Jisung was confused as well. It really didn’t make sense. Seungmin being here was weird enough. There were only few reasons for their weird destination, one of them being Minho’s locating spell to be broken. That was highly unlikely though.   
A scary thought crossed Jisung’s mind, «What if…Seungmin wasn’t walking this way on his own?«

It’s almost like Jisung’s words triggered the stars and karma wanted to prove his point, Jeongin pushing him away as soon as he finished talking and a burning arrow missing him by just a few centimetres.  
Minho whirled around and they all saw dark silhouettes approaching them in the dark, some faces barely visible because of the burning arrows being held up just in case they tried something funny.

Jisung felt it before he knew it; the strong magic of nature going straight through his body, Minho grabbing his arm and pulling him behind himself while muttering, «Fairies…«

The last thing Jisung heard before he lost consciousness was a soft, woman’s voice saying, _«Well done.«_

Though he was sure, the voice was once again in his head and for no one else to hear but him…


	7. magic tools

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really fast right now omg  
My Word document started lagging so I had to write the whole thing again and backup my story -.-"
> 
> And just like I promised - an exciting chapter that'l lead me to finally write about so many things I wanted to write for ages JESUS!  
I hope you'll enjoy the chapter uwu  
Thanks for reading!

**Magic tools;**

**For several potions, simply mixing the needed ingredients doesn’t mean you finished the potion. A lot of them are in need for certain additional steps to work out like they are supposed to. Magic tools are an umbrella term for a variety of highly needed additions. They were already mentioned on the page prior as a needed thing for every location potion to work out (I guess you went looking through the whole book, thinking the information about tools is somewhere far more into it, haha). You won’t be able to locate your desired person without the tool, because the potion needs something to connect itself to in order to create a magical route for you to follow. Just like sorcerers can only locate a person with one of their belongings. Don’t worry though; the magic tool can be anything and it doesn’t matter what kind of potion you need it for.**

**I wouldn’t recommend using living creatures as a tool though. As always, we are not liable for any accidents or injuries…**

It shouldn’t feel like the hundredth time Jisung blinked his eyes open after falling unconscious. But unfortunately; it did.

He could barely remember what happened, his mind slowly starting to awake and his blurry vision focusing on his surroundings. Which, in all honesty, didn’t look too good. He was oddly surrounded by various people, in front of him – on a majestic, wooden throne, as it seemed – a woman with deep blue eyes glistening in the dull light of the torches, her long blonde hair surrounding her like a veil.   
«You’re finally awake, human«, a deep voice said and Jisung shook his head lightly to avert his gaze to the man who had just spoken up. The man who spoke was tall and had broad shoulders, his face seemed rather friendly – though, he certainly did look quite intimidating towards enemies. Which, unambiguously, were Jisung and his friends at this moment.

Which immediately made the host suck in a deep breath and look around desperately, his eyes soon setting on Minho and Jeongin. It seemed like they were both still unconscious and – to Jisung’s bad luck – also locked up in small wooden cells. He guessed they were magically sealed because there was no doubt both, Minho and Jeongin, would be able to break those branches otherwise.

For some reason Jisung could only pray for wasn’t a bad one, he was the only one kneeling in the middle of the room, his hands tied behind his back. He didn’t really think before opening his mouth and saying the first thing coming to his mind, «Where are we?«

«You’re really disrespectful for someone who tried to invade us in the darkness of the night«, the deep voice of the tall man said. Jisung frowned but listened to him once he continued talking, «The question is; why were you travelling with a wanted warlock and his nine-tailed fox friend?«

_By all means of Ranera_, Jisung thought and sighed internally, _Minho is known as a wanted criminal all over Ifith as it seems…_

«We weren’t trying to invade you. We didn’t even know you existed…«, Jisung said, proud of himself for neither stumbling nor allowing his voice to shake. He now started seeing completely clear again and swallowed upon realizing that this room – wherever the hell he was – was indeed full of fairies. How much bad luck could one magic potion maker actually have? He considered biting his tongue before saying something stupid but decided against it because he and his friends were clearly treated unfairly, «We were following the locating spell of one of my friends. He is missing and I’m really worried about him.«

«Ah«, the tall fairy said and threw something at Jisung, which he recognized as Seungmin’s green scarf, «That’s why you were holding this in your hands instead of wearing it.«  
Jisung felt like it didn’t matter what he said; the fairy had his opinion about them and he didn’t care what other’s said or thought. In his eyes, they were intruders and enemies.

The host couldn’t really blame him for it. Jisung was almost sure he will die this night. Though, he thought he’ll greet the gods in heaven twice within a short amount of time lately and he’s still alive.

He didn’t really think he got any luck left after those two incidents.

«Can you just…let us leave? The only weapons we had with us were to defend ourselves against any thread. We didn’t know you are here, and we weren’t trying to attack any of you«, Jisung tried again, his eyes lingering on his unconscious friends for a few seconds.

The tall fairy didn’t seem to be faced at all, instead raising an eyebrow at him in a bored way – almost like he was totally used to people begging to him like that, «And why would we do that?«  
«I just…«, Jisung bit his lip and avoided the fairy’s eyes, staring at the ground intensely. He was really close to crying – he was frustrated, he was worried, and he missed Seungmin, «…ever since those hellhounds ran over my hometown my life started falling apart. And this scarf was the only indication that my best friend is still alive. I just want him back…that’s all.«

To be quite honest, he didn’t know why; but instead of looking at the fairy man, he held his head up to stare into the deep blue eyes of the beautiful woman sitting on her throne. Jisung assumed she was the queen of them all, her blue eyes held no emotion and she also didn’t say anything up to this point, «You may think we’re a bunch of invaders but can you really blame me for trying to find the only family I have left?«

Silence fell upon all of them, Jisung continued to look into the woman’s eyes. Until she seemed to have enough, averting her eyes in an almost flustered way. It was the first time she opened her mouth to say anything, softly but effectively cutting the tall fairy man off when he started talking again, «What if the scarf’s path leads you to find out your dearest friend is dead?«

The question caught Jisung off-guard. Of course, it’s not like he hadn’t thought about this already. Considering they were in an unknown terrain, Seungmin possibly hurt and confused, just as lonely and heartbroken – maybe even traumatized –, it was very likely that he was dead. That Minho’s locating spell will only lead them to an ugly truth.   
Jisung swallowed before answering, «Then I at least get to bury him like he deserved to.«

The woman closed her eyes again, another silence evolving the room they were standing in. She breathed in and stood up, her dark blue eyes sparkling with sparks of white for a few seconds, her long, white dress falling like a waterfall, «Provide a room for this young man and his friends.«

«B-But my queen-…!«, the tall fairy man wanted to object, but the queen looked at him with a challenging glare, «I believe this man. And why shed blood when we can share kindness instead?«

\-----

Jisung didn’t know how tired he was until some guards showed him to his bed. He didn’t even know how long he slept, didn’t care either, when someone nudged his shoulder eagerly and something else started jumping around on his bed and finally on top of him. He could feel fur brushing against his face, making him scrunch up his nose in his sleep – and then, he felt paws tapping across his torso _underneath_ his warm blanket, immediately making him wake up and sit upright, grabbing Jeongin’s fox body with soft hands. «Could you please not do that?!«

Jeongin purred – yes, he purred, Jisung wasn’t sure if foxes were actually able to do so – and shifted in Jisung’s hold, jumping down with a bright orange light; turning back into his human-form.

It was now that the host realized Minho was up as well, looking at his surroundings suspiciously. Jisung couldn’t hear anything – no birds, no people talking. Only Jeongin’s energetic voice, «It seems like you saved us again, Jisung-hyung!«  
He didn’t know how and when he had already saved Jeongin and Minho but he didn’t really care, nor did Minho allow him to even open his mouth to answer, «I don’t know what you did…but I’m positively surprised. And also kind of proud of myself.«

Jisung raised an eyebrow at the warlock and shuffled out of his warm bed, hurrying to put on some warmer clothes, «Why are _you_ proud of yourself? You were knocked out!«  
The satisfied smirk on the warlock’s face should’ve been enough for Jisung to kick him, he refrained from doing so though and draped the winter cloak over his shoulders, listening to Minho’s probably cockiest words he had ever said to Jisung, «I was the one who told both, you and Hyunjin, that you could be the only reason for fairies to not kill us the second they know we’re here. And tada – here we are, alive and healthy!«

«…Yeah, you’re welcome«, Jisung muttered under his breath and opened the door to the sweet cabin they were in, realizing it was a hollow tree.

It was cold outside, the sky covered with grey clouds and the wind icy. Other than the obvious coldness of the thunder mountains, there were a couple of other trees used as houses, just like normal tents. A few fairy guards walked around, some other fairies stopped whatever they were doing as soon as Jisung, Minho and Jeongin stepped out of the house.

The host flinched when the tall fairy from earlier stood next to him suddenly, Jisung realizing that he must’ve been outside their tree house the whole time. He bowed and stood straight again, his face now way more friendly than the last time they looked at each other, «Please excuse my rude behavior. My name is Taecyeon. I’m the commander of the queen’s guard and responsible for our safety. You may understand that I was trying to protect her and our people.«

Jisung wasn’t used to people acting all mighty and respectful towards him, which was why he just smiled and nodded, lightly taking a step back, «I-…ugh…yes?«

Taecyeon blinked and then – surprisingly – formed his face into an amused smile. He was almost too handsome to be real, «Excuse my language, just like you’re not used to me talking like that, I’m not used to _not_ talking like that. It’s a habit I was not able to get rid of ever since I joined her highness.«

«You weren’t a part of this wood since you were born?«, Jeongin asked with a bright smiled, Taecyeon immediately copying it – it was almost too bright to look at. Jisung thought that they’re muscles would freeze and they both would walk around with those smiles forever if they wouldn’t cut it out. Taecyeon started walking ahead, Jeongin following him without hesitating and Jisung and Minho sharing a confused look – they followed him as well.

«I grew up in Atror and trained to be a guard for her majesty, Queen Ranera. Though, I was treated very unfairly and looked down upon because I’m a half-elf. So I decided to leave and after some time met her highness in these woods«, Taecyeon explained.

While the commander and Jeongin chatted along, Jisung thought about Atror. Growing up in a small town like Orlon made him question the life in a city like Atror a lot of times. He was used to knowing all of his neighbors, greeting everyone and haven seen anyone you may or may not cross paths with at least once in your life. Rumors spread like a wildfire and people knew everyone’s secret if you weren’t careful enough. Thinks that weren’t known to people were thread – everything that wasn’t common for the townspeople wasn’t normal and therefore treated as such. Magical creatures weren’t unknown or uncommon in Ifith or maybe even Enos – but they _were indeed_ when you grew up in Orlon.

Jisung always thought that the people in cities like Atror were more welcoming towards magical creatures, different races and humans from foreign lands. Hearing Taecyeon say that he had been treated unfairly because of his race made Jisung both, sad and confused. He never understood why people acted like that towards magical creatures. It wasn’t like they didn’t appreciate the use of magical tools. They went praying to gods every day, they trusted wizards to protect them; but they didn’t care about the witty warlocks or the poor magical creatures. Even though all of them were doing just the same as every other person in Ifith.   
People didn’t like to hear it but just like the ten great wizards protected the gods, the seven powerful warlocks kept the keys to hell and therefore stopped demonic powers from evading Ifith. Unfortunately, the people didn’t care and therefore didn’t know.

Jisung almost bumped into Taecyeon when the guard suddenly stopped in front of a big wooden cabin.   
«Her highness wants to speak to you«, Taecyeon explained before knocking on the door and stepping inside, Jisung and the other’s following him slowly. Once they stepped inside, Jisung recognized this as the room he had woken up in. Now that there were no people in it, crowding the space, he could actually see how big it was. The throne her highness was currently sitting on was coated with a thin layer of ice – Jisung didn’t think it was colder in here than outside though.

They eventually stopped walking in front of the steps leading up to the altar the throne was standing on, all of them bowing in respect (Jisung still wasn’t used to this at all) and Taecyeon raising his soft voice, «Your highness, I brought to you our guests.«

The queen nodded and Taecyeon immediately disappeared through the door they stepped in through. Jisung assumed that he was outside – just in case they tried to kill her. Not like they intended to do so (or at least he hoped Minho didn’t think of such a crazy plan). It was weird for Minho to be as quiet, especially since Jisung usually followed him and not the other way.

«Have you been sleeping well?«, the queen said and Jisung flinched, wishing that Minho would talk for him. But he obviously didn’t, considering the queen held eye-contact with the host. He nodded and opened his mouth to say something else, though he didn’t know what and closed it again.

It seemed like the queen thought it’s amusing, for she smiled kindly and stood up from her throne, her long hair once again falling. Now that the daylight broke through the windows in the house, Jisung was finally able to actually see her face: she had round eyes and a small nose, her pointy ears just so visible through her long, open, blonde, almost platinum hair and the golden tiara around her head; today, she wore another white dress, Jisung shuddered at the pure sight; she didn’t wear any cloak or even a scarf, the dress hugging her slim figure perfectly and her pale arms almost as white as the dress she was wearing. Probably the most memorable thing about all of her beauty were still her deep blue eyes though, soft sprinkles of white seemingly shining in them.

«Let me introduce myself properly«, she said and bowed her head lightly, her eyes though never leaving Jisung’s as she said, «My name is Yrathea. I’m the fairy queen of the winter and the ruler of these woods.«

Jisung’s brain clicked and he final understood why she seemed so pale and dull and why she seemingly didn’t freeze to death in her thin dress; she didn’t know the cold since she was responsible for it.

The fairy kingdom was subdivided into four regions, all of them ruled by the queens of the four seasons. They had an affinity to the elements closest to their season and though it could also be summer in the lands of the winter fairy’s region, they never lost the affinity to their designated season. Jisung didn’t know that the winter fairy ruled here – how could he know after all; he never stepped a foot inside Rogrus.

Yrathea walked down the stairs and stopped right in front of Jisung – she was just a few centimeters smaller than him. Up this close, Jisung was able to see the few grey strands she had in her hair and a soft layer of fading freckles. Fairies and elves grew up just like normal humans or sorcerers did. They age, but not as fast as humans and reach their adulthood with their 100th birthday. Jisung knew that they were said to live up to 750 years, some even longer. He assumed that Yrathea must be around her 500 years of living, for she still looked rather young but also had grey hair and a mature face.

The host’s thoughts were interrupted by Yrathea’s soft voice, «You told me you were looking for your friend, am I right?«  
Minho nodded next to him, clearing his voice politely, «Indeed, your highness. We didn’t mean to intrude your borders and I apologize for not noticing.«  
A soft chuckle erupted from Yrathea’s throat, her eyes still lingering on Jisung as she answered Minho, «I apologize for treating you as harshly. We were expecting the summer fairy’s guards to try to attack us for we have some…inland problems. But that is none of your concern.«

«We’re totally fine so it’s cool!«, Jeongin exclaimed and smiled his bright smile, braces showing and ears twitching under his red beret. Minho sighed at the nine-tailed fox and closed his eyes. Jisung though was thankful for Jeongin’s cuteness, because Yrathea finally looked at something else than his face; sweet, sweet Jeonginie.   
«Oh dear – in all of my 539 years, I’ve only got to meet one nine-tailed fox. You’re quite young, aren’t you?«, she said and smiled fondly at Jeongin’s enthusiastic nod, «Yes, ma’am! I turned 313 years old last winter!«

The fairy queen was obviously delighted at the nine-tailed fox’s behavior, a sweet and kind of proud smile spreading over her pale face, «A kid of my season, I see. Well, young fox, I’m sure you’re a loyal servant and friend to your master.«

Jeongin nodded just as proudly and stayed silent.

Yrathea’s eyes lingered on Minho for a few seconds, Jisung wasn’t able to detect any emotion though. Before neither of them could say anything, the door to the throne room flied open and a fairy ran inside, a bright smile visible on his face. Jisung almost got ran over by him when he saw the queen and if it wouldn’t have been for his relaxed expression, the host would’ve thought something happened, «Mom! I found the herbs!«

Minho stared just as confused as Jisung, Jeongin even looking around in confusion; they all heard a deep voice talking but honestly had no idea where it came from – until Jisung heard it again but right next to him, «Though a dwarf almost knocked my head off for collecting them…«

They blinked and then it clicked; the voice belonged to this cute, puppy-faced, innocent looking fairy boy.  
Yrathea smiled a little bit unsure and sighed, «Dearest…I’m talking to our guests.«

Only then the boy flinched and turned around, Jisung cursing at the few centimeters making him seem so much smaller than the boy. He had soft, platinum-blonde hair, accompanied with the probably most beautiful light purple ombre Jisung had ever seen in someone’s hair. He definitely got his mother’s small nose, her round big eyes and the cute face. Most endearing where his prominent freckles though, which were scattered all over his nose and made him look extremely young for some reason Jisung couldn’t really explain.

Just like Queen Yrathea, the boy had pale skin and a slim figure. Honestly, he could wear a wig and probably get through a whole day of acting as Yrathea without anyone noticing. Of course, if it wasn’t for his taller height and the deep voice.   
Jisung knew that he had a higher voice than other male people his age, Seungmin being the best example for someone younger with a deeper voice. Which was why he didn’t dare saying something.

He felt like his voice sounded similar to a squirrel next to the fairy boy – excuse him, obviously considering he just called Yrathea his mother, this boy must be her son and therefore the prince of winter fairies. It was unusual that the winter fairy had a son, their heir’s mostly being girls. Jisung was once again confronted with another person who was probably mistreated because of the way he was born – or in this boy’s case, because he was a boy. Ironically, because most royal families were happier with a male heir. Fairies though viewed women as royal bloods and preferred the season rulers to be queens, rather than kings.

The prince’s face turned a deep shade of red, his freckles almost not visible anymore and a nervous expression settling on his face, «I’m…really sorry! I just came back from the autumn woods because I had to find some herbs for a sick person and I was ordered to immediately tell my mother-…I mean, the queen, when I’m back and I didn’t really notice you…even though you stood in my ways, that’s really weird…«

«Felix…«, Yrathea interrupted her son’s slipslop with another sigh. It didn’t sound annoyed, rather tired but with a lovely, motherly touch of love, «You’re actually perfectly on time but I’d like you to stop talking for a minute so I can explain the situation to our guests.«

Felix – as it seemed, that was the prince’s name – nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line, as if he couldn’t stop himself from talking otherwise. The queen smiled again and then turned to Jisung with a suddenly more serious look on her face, «A little bit more than a week ago, I felt a sudden rush of evil going through me, right after an ear-piercing bang in Enos. It felt like the heavens were roaring, like the sky was shaking and hell was running loose. So I send Taecyeon and Felix along with some guards to check out whatever it was. You said your hometown was attacked by hellhounds…I guess, you used to live in Orlon then.«

Jisung frowned but nodded as an answer, intently listening to what the winter queen had to say. A solemn look of sadness crossed her eyes, but she immediately let it fall when she saw the host’s uncomfortable expression. He decided to bite his tongue in order to refrain from commenting on why she sends her son to such a mission – maybe, Felix was stronger than it seemed?

«I didn’t expect them to return with such sad news, but more than that, not alone«, she continued and nodded softly, as if Yrathea wanted to confirm her story to herself, «The guards carried in a pale, fragile boy, heart barely beating and breathing labored, as if he was too tired to open his eyes but too stubborn to give up on life. I wasn’t fond of keeping him – my gut told me to stay out of whatever caused this poor boy to suffer like that. But Felix begged me to help…and so, I send him to get the herbs needed to keep this boy alive. He was away for almost six days. And the condition of that poor boy didn’t change.«

A lovely story, Jisung thought. But that didn’t explain anything to him, and he had no idea why the queen told them about this. Yrathea seemed to notice their confusion, exhaling a seemingly long held breath which created clouds in front of her – it seemed like even her breath was cold as ice.   
«One of the reasons we thought you were going to attack us was the weird path of a locating spell leading right up to the poor unconscious boy. Taecyeon and I thought that the boy was a spy or specifically put in Orlon to trick us into helping him.«

Honestly, Jisung needed a few seconds to understand what she was trying to tell them, his mind racing with thoughts and his breath catching in his throat, «Y-You mean…Seungmin?«  
«I don’t know his name…«, Yrathea answered, «Though, the locating spell definitely ended at his bed.«

Jisung couldn’t help himself, a sudden feeling of relief rushing straight through his body. He didn’t care about the fact that Seungmin seemed to be unconscious for now. He just felt relief upon knowing that he found him. «C-Can…can I…«  
«Of course«, Yrathea said with a soft smile, «Felix will show you the way.«

\-----

Seungmin always was fragile despite his height and the sharp tongue. When he started his studies at the temple, it seemed to get worse because he wasn’t allowed to go out that often – he got paler and thinner, never really had to do sports or work hard with his muscles. Though, even when Jisung was more worried than relieved upon seeing him once a week, he only ever saw Seungmin in a bad condition once. It was back when Jisung was eight years old, Seungmin got sick on his birthday and the local healer couldn’t do anything for him. He barely remembered what happened, which was strange to Jisung because he had a really good memory, but just when he looked the worst, his skin almost grey, his breathing barely there and his body inhumanly hot…the next day, he was healthy again.

They never figured out what kind of sickness he had had back then, frankly, Jisung didn’t care. He had sworn to himself that he would never let his best friend go through something like that ever again, the sight of Seungmin looking as weak and lifeless like he had when he was sick a memory Jisung would rather forget than remember.

He would’ve never thought that he would see Seungmin in a state like that ever again – though, this time, his body was cold. Too cold for a living human, too cold for someone who’s heart was still beating. Not fast, not regularly…but it was beating.

Jisung couldn’t help but feel sorry. He felt sorry for leaving Seungmin alone, for not thinking about his friend faster, for not running off to get him the second he felt something was wrong. He barely heard Felix’s deep voice when the fairy prince started talking, «I found him in the temples. The only reason I even saw him was because he faintly glowed. It was really weird. But his condition stayed the same. I tried healing him with herbs and magic but unfortunately, I’m not skilled enough. Whatever hit him is too strong for normal healing magic to treat. He never woke up, didn’t even move. In order to keep him alive we gave him water and the herbs I went looking for the past few days are supposed to strengthen his body a little bit. I don’t know for how long he can go on like this, though…«

The words hit Jisung harder than he expected, though he swallowed his feelings for now and nodded silently, his gaze averting from Seungmin’s pale face onto anything else – as long as he didn’t have to look at his barely breathing body or his non-moving, white face. His eyes met dark brown orbs, Minho already looking at him with a seemingly unfaced look in his eyes; he obviously tried to not look sad or distress Jisung in any way. Not like it actually worked but the host appreciated the effort.   
«…Do you think Hyunjin will be able to help him?«, he asked and watched as Minho bit his lip. It probably wasn’t supposed to be a nervous reaction, rather than just him thinking, but it kind of scared Jisung. The warlock noticed his tense shoulders and sighed, stepping closer and resting his hands on both of his shoulders, «I think if there is anyone who can help him, it’s Hyunjin. Right, Jeongin?«

The nine-tailed fox nodded softly, his usual bubbly smile replaced with a calm warmness, «Yes, Hyung. Master is an expert at healing because of his affinity to the nature!«  
«And because _someone_ kept running around hurting himself«, Minho added sharply, his eyes obviously glaring at Jeongin. The young fox huffed annoyed, «I was a _child_ back then!«  
«You’re barely a _teenager_ now«, the warlock argued and Jisung actually laughed at the annoyed pout Jeongin offered as an answer. Minho smiled at him fondly, a tender finger poking his cheeks in a comforting manner, «See? That’s better. I promise you; I will not let him die. We will help Seungmin, okay?«

Jisung looked at Minho and tried to find a trace of worry or hidden truth in the warlock’s eyes – instead, he was greeted with the warm, dark magenta again. The host frowned slightly, confused as to why the warlock’s color kept showing in his eyes even though he obviously wasn’t using any magic. Apart from his eyes shining abnormally, there was nothing but honesty in Minho’s eyes though. Which was why Jisung took a deep breath and pushed his questions about the colored eyes back into some corner of his brain to deal with later. Seungmin was more important right now.

They decided to teleport back to their magic carriage, Jeongin stating that he couldn’t teleport them to Hyunjin right away because first of all; they were too many people and secondly; the magic barrier keeping evil energy out of Rogrus barely allowed him to teleport back to where they parked their carriage. They were currently waiting in Yrathea’s throne room (Taecyeon had later explained to them that it was actually her humble house, a barely visible door on the left side leading to her own and Felix’s – as they figured – personal chambers and house), Jeongin and Minho discussing over how they’ll get back to Hyunjin’s mansion the fastest. Let’s just say, they didn’t really…_agree_. They were actually discussing in such a heated way, that they didn’t even notice Yrathea, Felix and Taecyeon entering the throne room with puzzled expression on their faces.   
Jisung would’ve loved to tell them that this was normal but honestly, he never really saw them discussing because they never actually travelled together like that – the only time Jisung actually travelled with Minho was when Jeongin barely breathed anymore. They obviously didn’t bicker back then.

«We should take the normal route through the open space, why creating a second gate when Hyunjin has a portal at home?!«, Minho argued the nth time and glared at Jeongin, who moved his hand like a talking mouth, «Because it’s easier and saver considering we’re a person – and an unconscious one after all! – more!«  
Yrathea cleared her voice and immediately made the bickering friends shut up, both of them turning around. Jisung was impressed to say the least; the one time he had tried to stop their discussion, Minho had told him to _‘stay out of this because he didn’t understand it anyways’_. Granted, he wasn’t wrong. Didn’t change the fact that it was utterly _rude_.   
«I hate to interfere your…discussion«, Yrathea said in her soft voice, «But I’d like to ask you for a favor…«  
«A favor?«, Minho asked and tilted his head to the right, purposefully ignoring Jeongin’s presence. «What kind of favor?«

The winter fairy took a deep breath, «I told you about some conflicts we’re currently having with the summer fairies, remember…?«, she closed her eyes and looked over to Felix, who was energetically talking to Taecyeon a few meters away from them, «My lovely son is one of the reasons for it. They don’t want him to be the heir of the winter fairies. So they threatened to take over my place because the summer fairy queen has two daughters. Unfortunately, the spring fairies joined them, and I believe that the autumn fairies…will soon do so too. I can’t risk keeping him here with me when they form an alliance against me. All to…kill him. It’s not safe for Felix here. Not anymore.«

Jisung, once again, felt pity for Felix. He had already thought about this but didn’t know that Yrathea’s son actually was reason enough for the summer fairies to start a war against them. Felix didn’t choose to be born the way he was, nor did Yrathea or any other winter fairy. It just happened. No one said it’s a rule of the gods for a season ruler to be a woman. Why did they need to take war as a solution for their almost non-existent problems? The host didn’t understand. And he probably won’t ever understand as long as he wasn’t born a fairy.

«Theoretically spoken…«, Minho interrupted Jisung’s thoughts with a quiet voice, probably to answer Yrathea without catching Felix’s attention too much, «…we _could_ take him with us. But…does he know? The reason why you want to send him away?«

Yrathea’s gaze drifted off onto her son, a distant look evident in her eyes as she seemed to think about something none of them really understood or knew. Her eyes were filled with adoration and warmth as she answered, «Of course he does. Even if I wouldn’t have told him…he’s smart. It’s not like my son isn’t able to defend himself – actually, he is one of my best warriors. But I can’t risk him staying here. The summer fairies won’t try to track him down as soon as they realize he’s not in Rogrus anymore. They’ll either think he ran away or I got rid of him.«

«But doesn’t that mean you’re giving up?«, Jisung said and Yrathea turned her head to look at him with deep blue eyes, «Without Felix, they’ll probably just…take over your kingdom.«

«I guess so, yes«, the winter queen answered, «But…even if we’ll have to give up, even if they’ll get our kingdom. It’s not _theirs_. _It’ll never be theirs_. Felix is destined to be the winter king of our kingdom. And he _will_ rule, one day. Because the gods chose him above all the souls up there to be _my_ son. I trust the gods. And I trust my son to get back what rightfully belongs to him when time is ripe.«

Maybe it was the way Yrathea spoke, or maybe just because deep down, all of them knew she was right. But Minho agreed on taking Felix with them, «I can’t tell you when he’ll be back.«

«You don’t have to«, Yrathea answered, «He’ll be back when the darkness is gone. You’ll need him just as much as I want him to be gone and safe, warlock.«

Jisung watched Minho and Yrathea stare at each other again, a look of wisdom evident in the queen’s blue eyes as her cold breath fanned between them. It almost seemed like she knew something. Like she _saw_ something. And then, their staring contest was over and Yrathea turned around to step out of the throne room, «Very well, friends. I think it’s time for you to go. The sun will rise soon.«

\-----

After Felix had packed his things and said goodbye to his mother – Jisung saw Minho shedding a tear at their heartbreaking words and the hugs Felix gave Yrathea for almost ten minutes, knowing it’s very likely that he won’t see her ever again –, Jeongin had teleported them back to their magic vehicle.

It turned out that Felix was a bubbly and lively boy, loud and energetic but really sweet and caring. Minho was the one carrying Seungmin on his back cautiously, the fairy prince asking him if he needed help every now and then – even though the warlock never complained and Seungmin probably didn’t weight much anyways.  
Jisung clicked with Felix the second they actually got to talk to each other. While Jeongin and Minho were – once again (or maybe _still_?) – discussing their tactic of how they wanted to get back to Hyunjin’s mansion, they talked about random topics like if the sky was blue because of the gods or the sea, if frogs could burst when they created that weird bubble or what kind of ice cream flavor they wanted to try if they ever got to chance to do so. Apart from the fact that they were both really lively (mostly, Jisung didn’t feel that lively lately considering what happened), they also shared a lot of dreams and thoughts because they both grew up far from any city and didn’t really travel. Felix told him about the woods and adventures he had with Taecyeon, also expressing that he never really met humans or warlocks and was honestly nervous around them.

He seemed oblivious but definitely didn’t miss Minho’s tentative side-glances towards him. Jisung had already figured that the warlock always watched the host’s every step, though he didn’t look at Felix like he was a thread. Every now and then, when Felix was too busy talking, Jisung caught his gaze and nodded calmingly when Minho seemed to ask him _‘are you alright over there?’_.   
«…Could it be that Minho doesn’t like me…?«, Felix whispered worried and Jisung almost cooed at his cute pout. He shook his head and smiled reassuringly, «No, he’s just…Minho. Don’t bother him, he’ll warm up as soon as he’s used to you.«

Jisung honestly didn’t know how he could tell Felix something like that. He barely knew the warlock himself, barely knew more than his name and that he was currently trying to not get caught by any Atror guards.  
His thoughts were interrupted by Minho, stepping closer to them while repositioning Seungmin on his back, «Okay, we have a plan. Jisung, you and I will drive back to Zotuna’s altar and I’ll teleport us to Hyunjin’s mansion from there. Felix and Jeongin will take Seungmin with them, return right away and tell Hyunjin what happened and where we are.«

Felix nodded enthusiastically and stepped next to Jeongin, who was smiling just as brightly. While the host was left confused – _again_. The warlock seemed to know what Jisung’s frown meant and explained without him having to ask, «Jeongin is too weak and unexperienced to teleport all of us back to Hyunjin. So we decided to split up.«

Yeah, Jisung knew that. He had read about teleporting and space back in Hyunjin’s mansion. He wasn’t confused because they decided to split up. «Why do I need to come with you though-…?«, he asked, his frown intensified. Minho carefully gave Jeongin the unconscious Seungmin, trusting the nine-tailed fox to carry the boy without any problems. He turned around to look at Jisung with an unimpressed raised eyebrow, «Because I said so.«

There was absolutely no room left for anyone to argue. Not even Jeongin, who – as Jisung got to realize during their short adventure – liked to discuss and bicker with Minho just to annoy him.   
Just like that, they said goodbye to each other for now and Jisung watched Jeongin and Felix disappear in the nine-tailed fox spiral of orange magic; leaving him alone with Minho once again.   
He didn’t know why. But not only did he feel like he had a massive Dejavu, but he also felt like they were about to encounter trouble on their way to Zotuna’s altar.

And if he knew something by now, it was that his weird feelings never betrayed him…


	8. enhancing potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah - for some weird reason, my word changed itself to american English? So I'm sorry that I suddenly spelled some things differently in the chapter prior; I didn't notice lmao. It wasn't wrong - but it bothered me a lot XDD
> 
> Sooo here's the new chapter  
It seems pretty boring but there are a lot of important things going on this one uwu  
I hope you enjoy it :3

**Enhancing potion;  
Oh sweet, sweet enhance. It’s probably one of the most popular potions for beginners. Not because it’s easy, but because beginners are easy to fool. Beginners often think that the enhancing potion makes you better at simply everything; at brewing, at reading, at whatever you’re lacking in. But that’s not how this potion works – the enhancing potion does not compensate the things you’re not good in. Rather than that, it corrects the wrong things. It’s like…the missing puzzle piece that’s missing in everything you tried. For example for people who should be able to walk, but for some reason can’t. Or for sorcerers who should be able to use magic…but for some reason can’t. By the way, for all the beginners who want to try this either way because they suck at making potions; don’t do it.  
What? You want to know why? Pff, I’m not _that_ nice. If you’re curious…_try it_ :)**

Travelling with Minho wasn’t new to Jisung. Obviously. The only difference was that they didn’t have to save a friend from dying and that travelling in a magical vehicle was faster.   
They were on their way to Zotuna’s altar for about forty minutes now, none of them really talking or saying anything. It was…_awkward_ for a reason Jisung couldn’t really explain. Ever since Minho connected himself to the vehicle and started it up, none of them had uttered a single word. Not even a simple _“The weather is nice”,_ even though it definitely wasn’t. It was warmer here than up in the woods of Yrathea’s region – but still, autumn made itself very prominent; leaves started to change their colours from a powerful green to dull and calm brownish-orange shades, slowly falling down from their spot on the trees onto the cold floor. Jisung liked autumn but preferred winter. He didn’t really know why it wasn’t like there were a lot of things to enjoy in winter.

Winters in Orlon were hard – people had to harvest their food wisely, everything was more expensive, and it was extremely difficult to find wood in order to stay warm inside. It was even harder for Jisung, who also had to buy ingredients for his pub. People usually sat in his pub longer during winter and he usually made more money, but the work related to it was tiring. Though, there was just something about winter. Something magical, something beautiful; something Jisung just couldn’t help but admire. Maybe it was also why he felt at ease when Yrathea had talked to him.

His mind wandered while watching a dead leaf falling onto the ground, the cold wind carrying it forwards as if the leaf wanted to follow them. He had heard hundreds of stories about fairies from the eldest in Orlon, all of them talking about how bloody and unforgiving they were. To be quite fair, Taecyeon did leave this kind of first impression, though Jisung couldn’t really blame him for it. People were just trying to survive, and fairies were just as scared of death then normal humans or sorcerers.   
Once they got to know some of the fairies – though, they didn’t stay really long – Jisung got to see a side of the fairies only few people knew; they were kind and respectful, as long as you were the same towards them. The only thing differentiating them from humans or sorcerers were their pointy ears and pale skin, just like their lifespan and the inhuman beauty. They talked like them. They walked like them. They behaved like them. They were nothing beasty or evil – just fairies.

Though Jisung had to admit, he thought that fairies had…wings.  
Not really thinking about the weird silence they had up until now and too caught up in his thoughts, Jisung turned to look at a concentrated Minho and said, «Do you think Felix has hidden wings…?«  
The warlock flinched upon suddenly hearing Jisung’s voice, his eyes subtly glancing at him but still focusing on the road so they wouldn’t drive into something.  
«…I guess? We just couldn’t see them.«

It clicked in Jisung’s brain – of course, he had read about fairies in Hyunjin’s mansion. Fairies were able to fly but only in their small form. They could shrink themselves to the size of little bugs, in order to hide and communicate better with the nature. Someone like Taecyeon, who was half-fairy, half-elf, couldn’t do that. Pure blood fairies though still had the ability to do it. Jisung set himself a reminder to ask Felix about that once they were back in Hyunjin’s mansion.

«Do you trust Felix?«, Minho asked after another few minutes of silence. Jisung looked at him and frowned for a few seconds before answering, «I think he’s more than just a bubbly, innocent prince. Yrathea send him away to a dangerous mission after all. And she did say that he’s one of her strongest warriors.«  
The warlock hummed and turned at a crossway, side glancing Jisung who nodded in approvement; he had memorized the route they took from Orlon to the border of Rogrus.   
«So you don’t trust him…?«, Minho continued.  
The host sighed, «Yes…and no. I don’t know him well enough to judge that yet. I think he has to trust us just as much as we have to trust him. For now…we should focus on getting to that damn altar.«

Minho didn’t answer anything.

They drove for almost four days, Minho needing a few breaks more because he used a bigger amount of magic in order to be faster. On their fourth day, they were already near Zotuna’s altar. Jisung could feel the power of water, almost like the goddess was drawing a path for them to follow. It was weird actually, because he usually couldn’t sense such things. They were barely at the altar when Minho suddenly stopped the carriage, almost sending Jisung flying because of the abrupt stop if it wouldn’t have been for the warlock’s immediate reaction to hold his arm. Didn’t mean Jisung wasn’t slightly pissed though, «Yah! How about _saying_ something next time you suddenly stop the-…!«  
«_Shh_!«, Minho hissed and moved his hand on Jisung’s arm to cover his mouth. «I know you’re bad with sensing magic but I’m sure you won’t miss this when you concentrate…«, he whispered.

Jisung closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. He wasn’t used to sensing so many things at once, Zotuna’s power flooding his body as if someone held him underneath the water surface. It was really hard to focus on whatever Minho was sensing within an instant – until Jisung did so too. Probably the most powerful power he had ever sensed up until now had been Hyunjin. Obviously, given the fact that he was the third most powerful warlock out of the seven. He barely had to concentrate on Hyunjin’s power if he was near enough to feel it floating through all of his mansion, all of the grass and plants around it.

He understood though why Minho had stopped the vehicle and tried to be as silent as possible once he had sensed this power – it was strong, by far stronger than Hyunjin could ever be. It overshadowed Zotuna’s refreshing power without any effort, even Jisung’s magically defected body reacted to it. It was sudden and unexpected – like a wave hitting him. It was like all of his emotions started fusing to one thing, and one thing only; anger.

Jisung saw _red_ – fury red, for no reason. And he knew that. He knew that he was not angry, he had no reason to be. But it didn’t stop the feelings, didn’t stop the emotions.  
It was hard to focus on anything else but the tunnel-like vision he had; to destroy something, to kill anyone who tried to stop or even touch him. But the determined voice of that woman inside his head made him fall out of that weird trance, _«Don’t give in to Wrath’s influence!«_  
And suddenly, he could feel Minho’s warm hands on his cheeks. Suddenly, he could see the worried look on his face, the pink shining color of his eyes – eyes full of…_fear? _

«…hear me? Jisung, are you there?!«, Minho frantically tried to get a reaction out of Jisung. The host blinked, a sudden feeling of relief floating his body; it was like he could breathe again. The voice that brought him back was once again the woman. The woman from his dreams, the woman no one heard or saw but him. He forced himself to dismiss his confusion for now though and focused on what was going on right now. Because if Jisung heard right, she said _Wrath’s influence_.

It was like the universe wanted Jisung’s thoughts to be true _once again_. Dull steps could be heard, crumbling the dead leaves and broken branches on the forest ground and getting louder and louder. A shadowy figure stepped out of the slightly foggy surroundings; a man, not tall, with pale skin, red-orangish hair and dark clothes. His magic was totally out of control, even Jisung could tell that much. His eyes were constantly shifting between fury red and deep black, the swings of his magic staining the air with all sorts of negative emotions; anger, hate, regret, even a slight amount of fear. Jisung knew who this was, probably would’ve been able to guess it without the voice in his head or Minho, who disconnected himself from the vehicle and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, «…Wrath. What are you doing here…?«

His voice was hesitant but not scared in any way. More like he was talking to someone who was two seconds away from jumping down a cliff. Jisung knew that he had only disconnected himself just in case Wrath would attack them.  
The host had never met another warlock besides Hyunjin, didn’t even know Wrath’s name. He knew the order, of course – knew who was said to be the most powerful one, the one who everyone feared the most. Not only because he was the most powerful warlock of Ifith, but also because of the Sin he represented. Wrath was the most dangerous of them all. Rage was a scary emotion, something not many humans actually ever _really_ felt – it drove people to do heartless things, bad things. Just like every sin, it drove every creature to sin as well. The warlock of wrath was the personification of this sin. Just like Hyunjin, who could be both, prideful in a lordly and arrogant way, he wasn’t _only_ a sin. Hyunjin was half human – he could be just as normal as he could be dripping of sin.   
Jisung assumed that Wrath was no different. And that something must’ve triggered his sin to get the, well, _worst_ of him.

Neither Jisung nor Minho expected Wrath to answer anything, he probably didn’t even hear Minho.  
The warlock squeezed Jisung’s wrist softly, leaning over slowly and whispering, «Don’t make a sound. I’ll try to talk to him…«

The host could barely nod.

Minho jumped down the magical vehicle and exhaled a long breathe, «Something angered you…what was it?«  
It was weird. Jisung had never seen someone fully possessed by his sin; the way they moved, the way they behaved. All of it was totally unexpecting and _painfully_ _forced_. As soon as Minho had asked his question, Wrath’s head whipped up, his muscles itching in a weird way – as if he was trying to stop himself from attacking Minho. His voice was full of hate, deep and frightening, sending a shiver down Jisung’s spine and roaring in his head as if he was evading his mind, **«…They have _him_…«**  
«They have whom?«, Wrath weirdly stretched his neck, his whole body shaking and a growl leaving his throat. Jisung almost let out a sound of surprise when a strong wave of magical power went through him – hot and burning with anger; _fire_.  
The sin of Wrath answered with his jaw clenched, **«The hellhounds…have Reticence…«**

A frown settled itself on Jisung’s face. Reticence was one of the ten great wizards, representing the seventh commandment; _Reticence_. No one knew his name. Jisung didn’t even know his gender up until now. Why would he be _here_…out of all the places in Ifith? And more importantly; why would Wrath care so much as to lose control?

It was then that another wave of something crashed into Jisung’s body, stirring his insides and making him stiffen. He could hear Minho hiss and Wrath growl once again. It was the same ugly feeling; like he lost all hope, all light. Pure _evil_.   
«The hellhounds…«, Minho muttered. Even before any of them could react, Wrath used an incantation without even having to say it, a weird compression wave making Jisung’s hair fly around. He could hear the pained howls of hounds somewhere behind them – whatever Wrath did, it hurt the hellhounds.   
«Leave. Now. I’ll deal with them«, Wrath said, his voice still stained with a deep demonic-like growl but now more human. It seemed like the hellhounds made him come back to his senses.

Minho reacted faster than Jisung could blink, grabbing the host by his wrist and dragging him down the carriage, through the forest. When they passed Wrath, the powerful warlock of fire licked his lips and his eyes lit up a fiery red, his voice now more human and softer as he calmly whispered, _«I’ll get you back, friend.«_

Jisung wasn’t sure if he had said that to himself or if his friend was Reticence, who apparently had been dragged to hell by the hounds.

\-----

Though Minho said that the feeling would start to be normal at some point, it still felt like his eyes were rolling out of his head and his breakfast wanted to greet him as soon as they both flew out of the portal in Hyunjin’s mansion.

The portal room was the same dark color with the only strikingly green light coming from the portal behind them. At least until the doors flew open and Hyunjin stormed inside, of course being the first one to feel someone trespassing his borders through space.

Jisung felt sick. There were so many things in his body, so many things he shouldn’t be able to feel and focus on – but he did. Zotuna’s calm water seemed to run through his veins like blood, Wrath’s fire though made an ugly contrast to that, his skin feeling like it was burning up and the ugly feeling of pure evil, which was thanks to the hellhounds, made him feel like he was about to throw up. Seriously.   
He could barely open his eyes without feeling sick to the stomach, all of his surroundings being a circling mess of darkness, green light, Hyunjin’s handsome face and Minho’s absolutely worried, pink eyes. «You told me I’ll…«, Jisung had to stop his own sentence, trying to swallow any sign of his body to show it’s breakfast, before continuing with a strained voice and burning muscles, «…I’ll get used to teleporting.«

«Well buddy, it almost seems like you react worse and worse«, Hyunjin said and earned a really hard slap from Minho. Jisung would’ve laughed if he could’ve done so. His body felt like it was melting, yet at the same time cooling down from the inside. It was tiring. He wasn’t used to this – didn’t know this kind of pain, didn’t know what this was. «I really don’t want to…worry you. But I don’t feel good.«  
Minho barely touched his arm before retracting it immediately with a pained hiss, «Jinnie! He’s burning hot!«

Hyunjin frowned and tried touching Jisung as well (which he barely even felt), his eyes immediately losing any sort of amusement. He said something but Jisung didn’t hear it. He heard a strange swoosh in his ears, like the sound of a waterfall – his ears were warm, and he felt something dripping out of it.   
_Blood_.   
He knew it was blood, though, he didn’t know _how_ he knew that.  
«M-Minho«, he whimpered. He could barely hear himself, only registered hectic steps and people talking around him. For some reason, his eyes could focus on the warlock though. Minho looked at him with such worry, that Jisung was almost scared how he must look like. The warlock’s eyes were full of fear. Actual, honest fear. It didn’t make sense to Jisung. He didn’t understand Minho. He was confused. With a pained and failed attempt to lighten his mood, he said, «I’m getting…r-really tired of passing out all the god damn time…«

And then, it was dark. _Once again._

\-----

_If there was something Jisung could definitely resign to, it was waking up in a lucid dream. He knew he was dreaming the second his eyes snapped open. It felt like a situation he had already been in once, though this time, the dream didn’t take place on a wide field of grass. His body was laying on a soft mattress, covered in a warm sheet and surrounded by a couple of pillows._

_He could hear a warm voice – a woman, humming to a song only her own head could remember. Though Jisung’s first thought was that he knew her, he didn’t recognize her voice. She was new. She was someone else.  
Carefully sitting up, Jisung looked around the room. It was a big bedroom, big enough to fit yet another two of those king-sized beds in here. The walls were decorated and covered with silver and black paperhangings. The interior was rather dark, though it didn’t seem too dark. It felt right – it felt like everything was just the way it should be.  
«Oh – you’re awake!«, the warm voice of the woman said and Jisung immediately concentrated on her as soon as she quietly closed the big doors of the bedroom behind her, a tray with two cups of tea in her hands. She wore a beautiful black dress, the transparent layer of tulle showing her beautiful pale legs and the black high heels. The upper part of the dress was showing her curves perfectly well, the soft light of the candles lit around the bed making the beautifully embroidered, silver ornaments shine and twinkle softly. Her arms were covered with long, black silk gloves and her lips tainted a beautiful, striking red. Most beautifully was her long, dark brown hair and the doll-like, high-cheeked face, an expensive looking, silver necklet slinging itself around her throat._

_She was beautiful in every way._

_A soft chuckle left her lips as she seemed to use an unspoken incantation to roll over a small table right next to the bed, placing the tray on it carefully, «I’m sorry, you can’t really wake up in a dream…right?«  
Jisung watched her take a seat on the bed, the mattress barely moving at her lightness, and stared at her dumbfounded, «Where…am I?«_

_The woman put three cubes of sugar in a cup and smiled softly, «You’re not exactly gone. I noticed your soul drifting away, so I had to bring you here in order to save you.«  
«…Save me? Did I…die?«, Jisung wasn’t only confused. He was also scared. He didn’t want to die – not like that anyway. And he didn’t even know why he had died.   
While she handed him the perfectly sugared cup of tea, the woman shook her head lightly, «No, you didn’t die. You almost did. Your body was overwhelmed with the amount of magic flooding it. So you had an anti-magical reaction. Your friends are currently trying to wake you up – in your time, the night is barely over. You aren’t passed-out for long.«_

_It was then that Jisung started remembering what had happened – but it didn’t answer his questions. Instead, he was even more confused, «How is that possible? I’m unable to use magic«  
«Now, now«, the woman interrupted him and gently pushed the cup in his hands towards his lips with a patient smile, «Stop asking so many questions. I wasn’t even allowed to talk to you so you may understand that I can’t answer you. Drink up and rest a little more.«_

_Jisung frowned and watched her drinking from her own cup, the smell of roses hitting his nose – he never had rose tea, didn’t even know that was a thing. After taking a sip like she told him to, he asked, «Who are you…?«  
She smiled mysteriously, glancing over at him over the cup, «I’m the calm and the sleep, I’m the new moon and yet everything people fear deeply…«_

_Suddenly, he felt a sudden drowsiness taking over his senses, watching her place down her cup and taking his full one away while gently tugging him back into the soft bed, draping the sheets over his body softly, «You’ll wake up soon. Don’t tell anyone we met, okay? I hope we’ll meet again…«_

_Before he could answer anything, he stated drifting off to sleep, the beautiful scent of roses flying around him and warmth embracing him. The last things he heard was her soft voice, whispering in a warm tone, **«I am Ednera…«**_

\-----

When Jisung’s eyes fluttered open again, he could hear various voices whispering around him. His head still wasn’t really keen on the soft light hitting his eyes, but he forced himself to sit up anyways, softly shaking his head, «Oh my god, can I just not pass out for once…?«  
«He’s alive, by all means of Ranera«, Hyunjin said and sighed. Jisung looked up to the warlock of nature, watching him sit down on the bed he was laying in, «Don’t _ever_ scare me like that again!«  
«Scare you like what? I wasn’t intentionally passing out to give you a heart attack!«, Jisung answered with an annoyed undertone and watched Hyunjin’s expression shift to a mixture of worry and fury.   
He turned with slightly green eyes and huffed, «Of course you didn’t but instead of _me_ having a heart attack, _your_ heart stopped beating!«  
Jisung stopped in his movement and stared at the warlock in disbelieve, his mind travelling back to his…was it really a dream? It felt like he actually experienced it. Not like he just dreamed of it.

A sudden slap on the back of his head made him slip out of his deep thoughts and turn to look at whoever just fucking dared to hit him, meeting wet, big, round eyes and a worried sick pout, the freckles of the boy seemingly stained with dried up tears. Felix had embraced Jisung before he could open his mouth to say something, «I thought you’ll die, Hyung! I was so scared I’d never get to talk to you again and never get to eat ice cream with you and that I won’t ever get the chance to get to know you better and-…!« - «Felix, I think he got the massage«, Hyunjin interrupted and dragged the fairy away from Jisung after the host had softly patted his head.

It wasn’t until the next day that Hyunjin allowed him to leave his bedroom. And even then, he gave Felix the task to follow him around everywhere, just in case Jisung would suddenly pass out again. Which he obviously didn’t.

The first thing Jisung did was seeing Seungmin in the infirmary. Not like his condition changed at all but he just needed to make sure that he wasn’t dead yet. Ryujin – who was in charge of healing, as it seemed – had told him that she had tried figuring out what’s wrong with him but still didn’t have a clear explanation for Seungmin’s constant condition. It was both, calming and thrilling to watch him as unmoving, laying there with pale skin and breathing barely there.

After talking to Seungmin – yeah, he talked to him because he was sure the boy could hear him in his weird, comatose state –, Jisung went to the library. Felix gladly listened to whatever Jisung was looking up, also answering the question about his small form by transforming into it. Let’s just say that Felix was even more adorable as a small fairy with wings, they both preferred the real-life size version more though. At some point, Jeongin joined them with a bright smile on his face, the shit eating grin not passing Jisung. Only minutes later, they could hear Hyunjin storming through the whole mansion in search for Jeongin, accusing him of _‘messing with his favourite spell books’_. The only thing missing, or rather the only person missing; was Minho. He literally disappeared after Jisung passed out yesterday. He wasn’t there to see him waking up, he wasn’t there to visit him even once. At this point Jisung was sure he wasn’t here to begin with.

It shouldn’t bother him as much as it did. They barely knew each other – they didn’t actually know each other. He shouldn’t care and it shouldn’t bother him at all. And yet…it did. He _cared_. And it _bothered_ him. He tried distracting himself with reading novels and books about random topics like the woods of something as boring as _‘How the brain works with our magic’ _(by the way, the worst book Jisung had ever read. But it didn’t matter what he read, it didn’t matter what he did or how early he went to bed. Even a whole week after the incident, there was no sign of Minho. And Jisung hadn’t stopped caring even once.

Hyunjin had told him that Minho and Yeji went to do something. He never said what and his stern and hesitant glance made clear that he also didn’t want to elaborate.

And then…there was this other thing. Ever since he woke up, Jisung…_heard_ things. He already tested if anyone else could hear it as well. But no one did, not even Hyunjin. The soft and enticing voice of that woman in his…dreams? Or whatever it was. Sometimes, in random situations, he just heard her commenting something. Or answering to a thought he had _in his head_. He knew that he should tell someone about it. Because it definitely wasn’t normal. Especially considering the woman had told him she wasn’t even allowed to talk to him! So why did she?!

He tried tuning her out, acting like she wasn’t there. It didn’t really seem like she was actually talking to him anyways – more like she talked about him to herself. As if she was watching him.

Ignoring her didn’t mean he could totally tune her out and sleep peacefully when he heard her soft voice humming the melody of a song he didn’t know.  
Jisung decided to walk around a little bit. It was half past 12am and therefore in the middle of the night. Literally everyone was asleep. He knew that even if Hyunjin would still be awake, he wouldn’t care about Jisung walking around his mansion at those ungodly hours.

After a whole week of getting to know this mansion, Jisung still didn’t feel comfortable walking around it alone. Which was why he just walked up the secret pathway to Minho’s room, knowing that the warlock wasn’t there anyways. It was the only path he actually remembered without getting confused with the hundreds of twists and turns, different floors that all looked the same and even that one shelf with the flower on it which seemed to exist in any hallway.

It wasn’t the first time Jisung sneaked himself up here ever since Minho disappeared with Yeji to that weird secret mission. He had started doing it four days ago when he tried to get away from Felix. The fairy boy took his assigned task to look out for him a little bit too serious. He literally followed him anywhere! Jisung needed his few hours of alone-time every now and then and with an energetic fairy boy who was following him around _all the god damn time_…it didn’t seem like he’d get his very important alone-time. And so, he had run off to his bedroom and quickly hid in the dusty staircase behind his wall, sighing when Felix left his bedroom with the most confused _‘I swear he ran in here’_ he had ever heard. To be honest, Jisung felt a little bit bad. Felix wasn’t only following Hyunjin’s order – the freckly boy obviously was concerned and only tried to look out for Jisung. But his insomnia wasn’t from passing out, he grew up with that. And he felt good apart from his lack of sleep.

While opening the upper door to Minho’s bedroom, Jisung swore himself to try and make some ice cream in order to secretly make it up to Felix as soon as he had asked Hyunjin for the ingredients needed.

Honestly spoken, Jisung didn’t know why he kept going to Minho’s room. There was just something about his dark interior, the unlit chimney and the big, king-sized, dark wooded bed that made him feel…welcomed. Calm. Almost like he was finally _home_.  
The host decided to lay down in Minho’s bed, covering himself with the heavy sheets. He remembered the first conversation he had had with Jeongin back in his pub, the morning after he had met Minho. The nine-tailed fox had told him about different scents and that Minho was supposed to smell like berries and woods. He could definitely smell the prominent scent of woods, fresh leaves in autumn after a thunderstorm.

Jisung would never admit to it but the scent calmed him down, lulled him to sleep and finally allowed him to properly rest in a dreamless sleep.

A soft patting on his shoulders made Jisung stir in his sleep, murmuring sleepy complaints and ineffectively slapping the annoying hand away. He didn’t want to wake up yet, buried his head more into the soft pillows and inhaled the scent as if it was the only air he needed. There was a soft chuckle hitting his ears, his subconsciousness shouting at him to snap his eyes open and see who it was. But he was so tired – and therefore remained with his eyes tightly screwed shut.

The chuckle continued a little bit more, his ears every now and then hearing someone shuffling around the room, shows hitting the ground, things being moved around and picked up – until he felt the sheets lifting next to him and someone joining him in the bed. Jisung knew in his subconsciousness that he would definitely regret this tomorrow. But right now, he was too far into sleep to care. And so, when he turned around and snuggled himself closer to whoever was staying next to him, emitting warmth and safety, he fell back into a deep slumber and for now couldn’t care less about anything else.

Nothing but this sweet, musky scent of wet woods and leaves.

\-----

Jisung felt good. He couldn’t really say why but while still being asleep, his mind slowly fading out of sleep though, he just…felt good. The warmth around him. The soft chuckles he could hear. A tender touch on his face, someone brushing away some lost hair. It was then that it hit him.   
Immediately snapping his eyes open, the host was met with familiar, beautiful dark eyes and a cheeky grin. He didn’t know if he should be surprised, angry embarrassed or all of those things at the same time, «W-What are you doing here?!«

The warlock in front of him chuckled again, softly playing with Jisung’s blonde hair, his grin intensifying, «This is my bedroom. The question is; what are you doing here?«  
He knew that his face got red, Jisung feelings his cheeks warming up and an embarrassed huff leaving his lips, «I-…uhm…y-you could’ve kicked me out! Or wake me up!«  
Minho raised an eyebrow, «I tried. But you started slapping me every time I wanted to shake you, so I eventually gave up and decided to lie down in _my_ bed.« His grin got even more annoying, if that was still possible, a really gleeful chuckle leaving his throat as he continued, «And by the way, you were really cute when you started snuggling up to me in your sleep.«

That’s it.

That’s all Jisung needed to hear.

Without giving it a second thought, he sat up, slapping Minho’s hand away from his hair and shooting the warlock the angriest look he could send someone, «I-…I couldn’t sleep, okay! And I didn’t realize it was you when I was sleeping! That’s a totally normal and human reaction and has nothing to do with you! And besides, _where were you_?!«

Minho sat up as well, his eyes lingering on Jisung’s face for a few seconds too long (as they both noticed awkwardly), just to avert his eyes and answer: «Hyunjin asked me to go look for Wrath and ordered Yeji to join me. We couldn’t find him though.«  
A distant look settled itself on Minho’s face, his finger starting to play with the hem of Jisung’s sweater (which the host for now decided to ignore), «It was weird. We couldn’t find a trace of him apart from the obvious fight he had had with the hellhounds. He must’ve gone berserk with them, there were at least twenty of those hounds lying around like dead meat. But after that; nothing. No traces, no signs, absolutely nothing. We tried tracking him down for a whole week, but it was like he never set a foot into Enos.«

Jisung hummed, not so sure what he should answer. He never had to track down the strongest warlock of the seven sins who just so happened to be totally out of control and killed a bunch of hellhounds.  
**_«Ah…he’s worried about my son. Why doesn’t he try to calm him down?«_**, Jisung could hear the voice of that woman again and forced himself to act like he didn’t just hear it. Or at least he would’ve done so – if it wasn’t for Minho, who looked up and around the room totally confused. As soon as he noticed Jisung staring at him dumbfounded, Minho tried to act like everything was totally normal, offering a calming smile. **_«Oh? Did he hear me…that’s weird…«_**, the woman said with just as much confusion as Jisung felt right now.

«Minho…«, the host mumbled, breaking the silence between them. He knew that if Minho didn’t hear her and just looked around for another reason, he’d probably seem the craziest he had ever been. But he slowly started to think that he was losing his mind anyway, «Did you…just hear that voice?«  
The warlock looked at him with wide eyes, mouth opened as if he wanted to say something. But then, he closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes, hands coming up to rest on Jisung’s shoulders with a serious expression on his face, «Jisung. Please don’t tell me you just heard Ednera.«

The host frowned, «…W-Why? Is it bad if I can hear her?«  
«Do you know who she is?«, Minho pressed and leaned forward, his eyes once again the colour of a worried, bright pink, «She is the punished goddess. The one who was damned to exist forever in a castle in the underworld, forced to live her whole life in there without seeing the light of the upperworld ever again. She is the Goddess of Darkness and Queen Ranera’s opposite; she is Ednera of the Dark.«

Jisung remained silent, his memory working hard and reviewing the things she had said to him in his dreamlike state.  
_«I’m not even allowed to talk to you.«_  
Oh crap. That explained many things. That explained a whole lot of things. It didn’t explain though why he was able to hear her, why no one else but Minho did and why the hell that was bad.   
«You shouldn’t be able to hear her«, Minho said, «When did it start? The voices.«  
The host wanted to answer with _‘a week’_. But he couldn’t. Because he knew that wasn’t true. He knew he had heard another voice even before he almost died for real.  
_Kritix…_, he thought and remembered the dream about her, the open field, how she got swallowed by shadows and the scratches on his legs – which had magically disappeared only a day after Ryujin had treated them. «…Ever since I first woke up in Hyunjin’s mansion?«, he mumbled shyly and watched Minho inhale a sharp breath.

He stood up and ordered Jisung to do so too, the host only now noticing that the sun wasn’t anywhere near rising yet. The warlock grabbed his wrist strongly (though, still with a weird tenderness to it) and started pulling Jisung with him through the mansion, «We’re going to talk about you, not saying anything about hearing voices even though you suffer from a magical defect ever since you were born. But right now, I need to take you to Hyunjin and make sure you won’t die for real this time.«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh~  
Sweet warlock of Wrath finally made it's appearance. Who do you think is it? And why was he so angry...?


	9. healing potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to make because  
There's this new character you'll really like (or so I hope cause I like him and he's kind of important I guess???)  
So uhm...yeah!  
thank you so much for reading! :33

**Healing potion;  
It’s as simple as the title says; this potion is supposed to heal you. But from what exactly? Well, the healing potion does not heal; comatose conditions, psychological illnesses, diseases. It also doesn’t heal any conditions caused by curses or spells. Yeah, you read right – this illness can only, and I am purposefully repeating this, only heal physical wounds. It does not heal the fever coming from an untreated wound or the hallucination caused by a person not drinking for days. People tend to forget that the healing potion is extremely easy to make for a reason after all :D  
You can try using it against a fever – we’ll gladly accompany your friends funeral.**

Hyunjin always seemed to have this…calm aura around himself. Though, he did tend to get a little bit loud sometimes, he definitely wasn’t impatient at all. Jisung though may or may not get the award for _‘Making Hyunjin freak the fuck out’ _as the first person ever. He had never seen the powerful warlock walking around in his office – by the way, a beautiful office – like _that_, up and down in front of his (very large) desk (which was scattered with various documents and books), like a tiger waiting for its pray.   
The host was nervous, to say the least.

After furiously walking up and down in front of Jisung, who was currently sitting on the armchair in Hyunjin’s office, the warlock finally stopped and whirled around, his nightgown circling him like a majestic dress would, «So you saw Kritix dying in your dream. Heard her calling for help a various amount of time. Got recused by Ednera herself. Heard _her_ voice for a whole damn week. And didn’t fucking think about sharing this kind of information?!«

Jisung felt like he was being interrogated. Hyunjin was _mad_. Furious, almost. He didn’t know why exactly though. Well, he didn’t really care to be honest. _Hwang Hyunjin was extremely scary when he was angry._ So what else could Jisung offer but an honest, silent nod?  
The warlock took a deep breath and continued, «And to top it all off, you felt the hellhounds, you felt Zotuna’s power and you felt Wrath’s power even though you’re suffering from a magical disorder and you _didn’t fucking think about telling us about that?!_«  
Once again, a silent nod. Hyunjin made an annoyed and angered noise and continued walking up and down in front of his desk, furiously ruffling his hair, «Do you even know how dangerous this is?! Gods aren’t meant to be heard by normal sorcerers or creatures! They are heavenly creatures! They are untouchable! They can kill you with the simple boring wink of an eye! You could’ve died! What would you have done if Ednera would’ve kept your soul?! Huh?!«

Well, _now_ it got really offending. Jisung narrowed his eyes and collected the last bit of courage he had to defend himself because _honestly_, not all of the things that happened could be blamed on him.  
«I didn’t intend to let her drag my soul into her castle and treat me until I was good enough to return to my body! I didn’t wake up on a grass field because I wanted to see Kritix dying! You can’t blame me for something I didn’t know and didn’t understand! I don’t even know _who Kritix is_!«

Hyunjin seemed to be two seconds away from ripping Jisung apart, stopped immediately though as soon as Minho touched his shoulder. The warlock had been silently leaning against the desk without uttering a single word, arms folded in front of his chest and eyes watching Jisung as if he was trying to figure out a riddle. It was weird, actually; how a simple touch could calm Hyunjin down immediately.  
Minho sighed, «Hyunjin stop. He’s right, how was he supposed to know he was talking to a goddess? And besides, we’re living in a world full of magic – you can’t blame him for not thinking it’s weird. He _should_ be able to use magic after all.«

The warlock of pride huffed and sat down in his chair behind the desk, not without mumbling some incoherent things to himself though. Minho turned to look at Jisung in the meantime, «But you _did_ act recklessly. You almost died; we don’t want that to happen again. And to answer your question; Kritix is the Goddess of Nature. But according to the holy books, she died in the great war between hell and heaven a few hundred years ago.«

Jisung’s brain almost visibly lit up – he knew the name was familiar, couldn’t really remember why though. He remembered that they had learned about the war in school, Kritix being one of the main reasons heaven almost lost. No one knew the real story, apart from Ranera, of course.  
«But…Hyunjin is right«, Jisung muttered and shook his head confused, «I grew up with this magical defect. I shouldn’t be able to sense magical power; my body shouldn’t be able to have an overreaction because of it. I was never able to mix any magical potions or sense those things. Why now? What changed?«

It was silent for a few seconds, seconds in which Minho seemed to think of an answer himself. Jisung honestly almost forgot about the presence of the others until Ryujin spoke up from her corner next to the bookshelves, her few silver strands softly reflecting the light of the candles, «U-Uhm. If I may say something regarding this topic…«, she obviously waited for Hyunjin to allow her to speak, which he did with a tired nod, «When Minho-ssi and Jisung-ssi first arrived, Jisung-ssi also passed out. Back then, he got bitten by a hellhound, so master healed you against his better judgement.«

Oh. Well, Jisung couldn’t remember that since he was unconscious. But it seemed like both, Hyunjin and Minho, started to remember it and they simultaneously sighed, Hyunjin biting his lip in a weirdly aggressive way, «I told you, back then. I told you we shouldn’t do it.«  
Minho clicked his tongue and turned to look at Hyunjin with emotionless eyes, «He was fine when he woke up!«  
«He had a lucid dream and woke up with injuries because of it!«, Hyunjin argued, but in the same moment shut his mouth to a thin line. Minho stopped moving and stared at the warlock with such an intense gaze, that even Jisung started feeling uncomfortable.  
«So you’re telling me, Jisung was hurt in his own dreams by shadows. And you didn’t care to tell me about that?«, Minho said and stepped closer to Hyunjin’s desk with a dangerous aura around himself.

The host was just as confused as uncomfortable; what was going on here? Why were they so…angry at each other? He cleared his voice and stood up, carefully stepping closer to the two of them in an attempt to calm them down, «Guys. It doesn’t matter who did or didn’t do something, it’s over. I want to know what’s wrong with me.«

While Hyunjin still seemed to be angry (probably an effect of his sin), Minho visibly calmed down and nodded, refusing to look at the powerful warlock though with an almost arrogant (?) huff. He turned to Jisung and looked at him instead, eyes focused on no particular point in the host’s face, as it seemed, «The incantation…Hyunjin used to heal you was one of the ten commandments prayers.«  
«_Excuse_ me what?«, Jisung said and tried to find the hidden joke in that sentence. The prayers of the ten commandments were extremely powerful incantations. Only the Seven Powerful Warlocks and the Ten Great Wizards themselves were able to perform such high magic and even _they_ had a hard time doing it. The prayers were long and draining, extremely difficult to handle; even more so if a warlock did it.  
Hyunjin must be on a totally unknown level if he could master such magic.

Though, Jisung knew about the…negative effects those prayers had. Every prayer had it’s price. Because every prayer was a special gift from the ghost of a god. That something changed inside Jisung was clear, though, now that they knew it probably was because of that prayer, they had to find out _what_.

Minho sighed again, his shoulder sinking, «I honestly thought it wouldn’t work. The hellhound’s bite was already starting to expand towards your heart. You were almost dead, your heart already started beating slower and slower. Hyunjin had told me that even if it would work out, your state would cost a lot; that the god of healing would demand a really big price for it. But when you woke up, you seemed…fine. We couldn’t sense anything weird, you walked around, you talked, you were healthy. So we thought the god didn’t demand anything.«  
The way Minho spoke was…weirdly hard for Jisung to listen to. It almost physically hurt; hurt hearing him like that, watching his gaze fall to the ground, his shoulders sinking, his voice dripping with regret and worry.

Jisung didn’t know why, but he felt like he had to cheer him up. So he gently poked Minho’s cheek and smiled when the warlock looked up, «I’m fine, right? My heart is still beating and…you saved me. And I’m grateful for that. Instead of feeling regret for something you can’t change anymore, we should try to find out what the god wants.«

The warlock stared at Jisung for another few seconds before returning his smile softly and nodding, avoiding his gaze and finally looking back at Hyunjin. He seemed to have calmed down upon watching the two of them.  
Jisung frowned, «So…how do we find out what the god of healing wants from me?«

Both, Hyunjin and Minho, exchanged a worried look.   
«…We’ll have to talk to the Wizard of Healing…«, Minho said.  
Hyunjin groaned, «Oh no – I _hate_ dealing with him.«

\-----

In all of Jisung’s life, he never really thought about how he viewed the Ten Great Wizards. He certainly didn’t think that one of the Seven Warlocks would be as funny and outgoing as Hyunjin. For some reason, he never really tried imagining what kind of persons the most powerful sorcerers of Ifith were.

There were three of the Ten Great Wizards whose identity and names were known by the people of Ifith; the Commandment of Selflessness, the Commandment of Truth and the Commandment of Love. Those three Wizards were known by name, though no one knew where they lived or what exactly they looked like. Before meeting Minho and getting dragged to Hyunjin by him, Jisung didn’t even know any of the names of the Seven Powerful Warlocks.

The Commandment of Purity and Wizard of Healing. The eighth Commandment and therefore the eighth most powerful wizard in Ifith. Those were strong words, which were bound to describe a strong person. Jisung started thinking a lot ever since Hyunjin had sent a fire-massage to the wizard. Of course, the Powerful Seven and the Great Ten knew a few names and identities, probably even knew some of the other’s homes.

While thinking about who the Commandment of Purity could actually be, Jisung went a little bit…_crazy_ in his imaginations. He only started realizing that his imaginations were really wrong once the wizard actually was inside Hyunjin’s mansion. Or more precisely; he noticed that his imagination of a pure and quiet wizard with soft features and silent voice is absolutely incorrect once someone aggressively pushed the doors of the main entrance open, the early fog of the day streaming inside and dull sunlight making him seem like a godly silhouette. It would’ve actually looked fantastic if it wouldn’t have been for the loud and offended, _«I hate the location of your damn ass house!«_

They had been sitting in the salon, only a few steps away from the entrance in the first floor, Jisung showing Felix and Minho (who had been surprisingly curious) how to knit. Yeji had opened the door to the salon with a bright smile, informing Hyunjin about the wizard’s arrival, which the powerful warlock had dismissed with a really sarcastic, _«Thanks, I didn’t notice someone bursting into my house like a damn elephant«._

Only seconds later, a man pushed Yeji aside gently, smiling at her with probably the brightest and whitest set of teeth Jisung had ever seen. He was tall and had broad shoulders, his body dressed in a plain white dress shirt, black trousers and a soft looking, blueish-grey cardigan draped over his shoulders (Jisung had no idea who the hell tailored this for him, but it was extremely good work). He had soft, rosy-coloured hair and an extremely handsome, mature face; plump lips, straight nose, big round eyes and high cheekbones. Jisung dared to say he was perfect-…

…until he opened his mouth again, spreading his arms like he was presenting something (probably himself, as they all figured lately), moving his right hand to his mouth and sending a kiss towards them with an exaggerated movement, «Mister World-Wide-Handsome is here to save the day!«

Jisung wanted to gag just hearing those words.

Kim Seokjin was the man’s name. And despite his arrogant and dumb entrance, he was actually really nice and easy to talk to. The host had decided to look past his first impression as soon as Seokjin had offered to just call him _‘Jin’_ and said he _‘absolutely adored Jisung’s cheeks’_.  
Before they could actually start talking or getting to know each other, Hyunjin and Jin had started discussing like kids in kindergarten, throwing dumb words at the other just to be even more offended than they already were. They had only stopped when Minho had slapped both on the back of their heads with a warning glare and a muttered threat Jisung didn’t want to hear.

And now…they were sitting in front of the chimney, sipping the tea Yeji (successfully) brewed for them. Hyunjin had just finished telling Seokjin what was going on and why he had asked him to visit as fast as he could.  
The wizard took a calming sip of his tea (cursing that it was hot), before clearing his voice and leaning back in his seat, his long legs crossed and his gaze staying on Jisung in an almost analysing way, «So Minho used my prayer and you all have no idea what Jisung-ie needs to pay the god for it?«  
Hyunjin shook his head and pointed at himself with an obvious glare, «No, _I _used your prayer.«  
«Yeah, doesn’t matter«, Jin easily dismissed Hyunjin and also ignored his following offended curse that was obviously directed towards him, «I can ask the god of healing. But I’m not sure if he would answer me. Most people have to figure out what the gods want from them on their own.«

Jisung frowned, «But what if I’d never find out? Would they punish me for it?«  
«No…«, Jin said and shared his frown, «Punishing isn’t exactly the right word…more like…turning everything back to how it should be. A prayer is only used when only something unnatural can change the situation. The gods only grant your wish when they agree on it. If you wouldn’t be able to fulfil whatever they want from you or if they suddenly think you’re not worthy anymore, they’ll take their blessing away. In your case, that would mean…«  
«…I’d die«, Jisung finished his sentence with an oddly clear voice.

Jin nodded and took another sip of his tea, this time blowing on it a little bit to not burn his tongue again.  
«So you’re saying…that Jisung has to live with the knowledge that he could die every day? Without knowing why or what he did?«, Minho concluded and stared at the wizard, «Don’t you think that’s a little bit…cruel?«

The loud thud of Jin’s cup hitting the surface of the small coffee table between them made literally everyone flinch; he looked annoyed and for the first time since he was here, actually serious.  
«It’s not cruel, it’s just how the world works. You prayed; they blessed. Nothing should be taken for granted, especially not a god’s kindness. So I’d recommend all of you to be grateful Jisung-ie is still alive because the god of healing does not have any obligation to keep it like that«, Seokjin scolded and made them all nod in silent agreement and shame.

He sighed and continued talking, changing his leaned back position to sitting straight in the armchair, his fingers softly playing with the silver ring on his finger. Jisung wondered if he was married or had a family at home. «But despite all of that, I don’t think that the god of healing actually…cursed you with something bad. You _almost_ died a couple of times but in the end, you _didn’t_. Call it luck or even fate, but as far as I can see…the gods do not want you to die. And besides, you shouldn’t be worried about your sudden magical power; you should be grateful, again, and use it wisely.«

Jisung blinked totally confused, «Excuse me, Jin. I don’t have any magical power. I have a genetic defect.«  
Seokjin raised an eyebrow sceptically and glanced at him, «I mean, it’s still very faint and barely there but your magical power exists. It always did. Let’s just say that, whatever the god of healing did to you, it enhanced your magical skills. He didn’t just _save_ you. He _healed_ you.«

Well, if Jisung had been confused _before_, he definitely _didn’t_ understand anything _now_. Jin seemed to have seen the host’s baffled expression because he leaned forward slightly and said, «What did you guys think was wrong with him? He could sense everything Minho could sense – god, even his body couldn’t handle it. As far as I can see, you hold a really gifted amount of magic in your body. Your just not used to it – it’s like a dam finally breaking after hundreds of years; it’s overwhelming and unknown but nothing bad will come out of it.«

«Okay, wait«, Jisung said and stood up, now him being the one walking back and forth in front of the chimney, «So you’re telling me that I shouldn’t care about what the god of healing wants from me, rather than just enjoying that I can now use magic?«  
Jin seemed to process the words and then nodded slowly, «Well, you’re not a wizard or warlock so you probably won’t ever use magic like us-…!«, Minho slapped him on the back of his head again without saying a simple word, which made Jin clear his voice, «…but. Yes; you should be able to use magic like every other 15-years old magic potion maker.«

Jisung forced himself not to curse at Jin, «I’m _twenty_ years old, thank you very much.«  
«Oh really? I thought you’re a kid and Minho turned into a weird pedophi-…**_ouch_**!«, once again, without uttering a single word, Minho had slapped Jin’s head, this time leaning down to his ear and muttering something, which made a little bit of the wizard’s healthy rosy colour disappear from his face.   
Minho acted like nothing happened though and smiled, straightening up again after whatever kind of threat he had whispered into Jin’s ear. «Well, Seokjin. You’re actually really helpful, we wouldn’t want that to change, right?«

The wizard nodded but didn’t say anything else.

Luckily, Hyunjin did, «Okay so Jisung, you’ll find out about whatever your god wants some time in your life«, the warlock obviously dismissed the topic with a simple handwave, ignoring the host’s offended glare and continuing, «While you’re here, Seokjin. Can I ask you something?«

Jin crossed his legs again, nodding softly while eyeing Minho suspiciously. The warlock hadn’t sat down yet and continued to stand next to Seokjin’s seat with the most innocent smile someone who definitely wasn’t innocent could muster.

Hyunjin didn’t seem to care, as if he was used to that scene, «Remember that letter I sent you regarding the incidents in Enos…?«  
Every little bit of calmness or even warmth left Jin’s features as soon as Hyunjin brought the topic up, his eyes changing its colour to a soft, dark rosy for a few seconds, «How could I not? The hellhounds are still out there, as far as I know. And that _presence_…whatever the gods sent to earth; it was a very clear warning.«  
«…That…beam. It hit a temple near a town named Orlon. Do you happen to know it?«, Hyunjin continued slowly. Jisung decided to sit down on his armchair, watching Minho walk right behind his seat again without saying a word. Seokjin nodded along and waited for the warlock of nature to continue, «…Should they all…die? The people in the temple, I mean.«

A very confused and sceptical look set itself on Jin’s face, an eyebrow raised and his eyes practically dripping with seriousness. He carefully took his cup of tea and stared inside the hot water with a distant gaze, «I don’t know what kind of beam it was, or which god sent it, if that’s what you want to know from me. None of the Commandments does. And someone probably told you that we can’t reach Ranera for some reason. I suppose though…whatever it was. If it was strong enough to destroy a holy temple, I wouldn’t say that someone could survive that beam.«  
Hyunjin pressed his lips to a thin line, «What if someone did though? What if someone survived it but is in some sort of…comatose condition?«

Seokjin clearly didn’t expect this turn of conversation and almost choked on his tea when he heard those words. His eyes narrowed at Hyunjin and he carefully placed the cup down on the table again. «That’s impossible. Even our strongest Commandment would’ve died if she would’ve been hit by one of those beams. Not even Wrath would’ve survived that. There is no way a priest could do.«  
«But someone did«, a deep voice interrupted, and everyone turned their heads to Felix. He had been oddly silent until now, listening to the conversation without saying a single word. «I found someone in the ruins of the temple when my Queen sent me to observe the situation. He glowed lightly – I would’ve thought he was dead as well if it wouldn’t have been for that soft glow.«

Jisung swallowed when Jin stood up abruptly, «I want to see him.«

\-----

«You said his name is Kim Seungmin?«, Seokjin questioned and Jisung nodded slowly.

They currently stood in the infirmary, Ryujin – who had been assigned to watch over Seungmin and therefore hadn’t joined them in the salon – cleared her voice softly and nodded her head towards the unconscious boy, «I tried to find out what’s wrong with him, but unfortunately, I have no idea. He isn’t dead – but he isn’t alive either. His vitals are neither good nor bad. He’s just…_breathing_.«  
Seokjin barely nodded again, «Could you…tell me something about him, Jisung-ie?«

Jisung swallowed, «We grew up together in Orlon. Seungmin is no sorcerer, he could never use magic. His family had been a line of priests in this temple for a few hundred years now so Seungmin had decided to step into their family tradition after school, instead of studying something or working in town.«  
«And he didn’t know any magical creatures? Or sorcerers?«, Jin asked and sighed when Jisung shook his head silently.

He really tried to look at Seungmin but somehow still couldn’t.

«I don’t really know if they never greeted a sorcerer of some sort in their temple, Seungmin wasn’t allowed to tell me a lot of things and we barely saw each other because of the strict curfew he had. About two weeks before that…beam hit Orlon, he acted extremely strange though«, Jisung said.

Seokjin stepped closer to Seungmin, didn’t touch him though. He just looked at him, seemed to analyse his body, his face, his whole being. As if he could read him like a book. While nodding slowly, Jin waited for Jisung to continue, «He told me about a letter they got from Queen Ranera. Something about…dark times and trusting the moon. He said the priests didn’t want to take it seriously but that he felt like something would happen. That day, he told me to stay save in my house. It was the same day I met Minho and approximately a week later, the beam hit the temple and the hellhounds invaded Orlon.«

The memory of his last conversation with Seungmin hit Jisung weirdly…hard. He had never really thought about that; if Seungmin would die, he would always have to remember his last conversation with him. The last time he had actively talked to the young priest. He would never be able to thank him, never be able to hear his voice again or hear complains about how dumb humans were in his eyes. The thought oddly scared Jisung. He knew that it was possible – very likely, to be exact. They had no idea what was wrong with him or why this had happened to Seungmin. They didn’t even know if he was in pain. Jisung started to wish that whatever Seungmin was going through…it would just stop. He couldn’t bare seeing him like that any longer. And maybe, some selfish part of himself just wanted it to be over so they both wouldn’t have to suffer like this anymore.

Jisung honestly just wanted to move on.

A soft touch on his wrist made him look to his right and straight into Minho’s face, who stood next to him with a soft smile. He looked solemn but not pitying and for some reason, the smile cheered Jisung up a little bit. He forced himself to swallow the thoughts and listened to Seokjin when the wizard finally said, «I don’t know what exactly happened to him…but it doesn’t seem like he’s cursed or even sick. You’re right, he isn’t alive, but he also isn’t dead. It’s _really_ weird. I know for sure though that_ I_ can’t heal him, not even with the prayer.«

«What? Why?«, Minho asked and Jisung watched his face shift to a confused and worried expression. Jin sighed, «I would love to help but I believe that whoever caused this to Seungmin, did it intentionally. This is a god’s doing.«  
Hyunjin sucked in a sharp breath, «Wait. So you mean, that beam didn’t hit the temple-…?«  
«It hit Seungmin. I’m a hundred percent sure, it hit _him_. And the impact of it destroyed the temple. That’s why he was glowing, Felix«, Seokjin looked at the fairy boy with a serious gaze in his eyes.

Minho clicked his tongue, «And what makes you so sure it directly hit Seungmin and was _supposed_ to hit him?«  
The wizard raised an eyebrow and shrugged, his hand slightly glowing in a rosy light and touching Seungmin’s pale arm – which immediately made the unconscious boy’s body glow up in a faint, golden light again. Seokjin hissed and withdrew his hand, his fingers slightly black; it seemed like they were burned.  
Jisung stared in shock while the wizard healed his own burns with a sigh, his eyes boring themselves into Minho’s as he answered, «Because I can’t heal him. Whatever it is that hit him, it’s forcing him to stay in this condition. There is nothing purely magical that could wake him up.«

Silence once again settled around them as Jin released a tired groan, circling his shoulders in an attempt to loosen his tense muscles as it seemed.

Jisung’s thoughts were running – until he suddenly had an idea.

He cleared his voice and made everyone look at him with a curious expression.  
«This may sound totally stupid…but what about a potion?«  
«A potion?«, Hyunjin repeated totally dumbfounded and stared at Jisung with a confused expression. The host sighed and nodded, «Yes. I mean…Seokjin just said that there is no purely magical incantation that could…help Seungmin. But what about potions? They aren’t purely magical – potions are mixtures of deep concentration, blessed ingredients and a tiny little bit of magic. They’re difficult to make but effective.«

Seokjin seemed to think about the idea for a really long time, biting his full lips with a concentrated expression on his face. «I guess the only potion that could actually work…is the awakening potion.«  
«Well then, we’ll just have to find someone who can mix it«, Jisung said and couldn’t hide the small amount of enthusiasm he got. It wasn’t a definite _‘yes, it’ll wake Seungmin up’_. But there was a small hope that he _could_ wake up. At this point, Jisung was happy with literally everything as long as it could actually help.  
«We won’t need to look for someone«, Seokjin said and took a calm sip from his tea – Jisung was surprised he still had something in there, didn’t really concentrate though when he noticed the wizard’s obvious gaze on him.  
He only started realizing what he meant when Jin raised a single brow expectably and Jisung immediately shook his head, «No. I never mixed any potions that are important. The one’s I had at home were either left from my mom or bought on the market!«

The wizard shrugged, «I already told you; your magical level is extremely high. You’ll only have to follow the recipe.«  
«It’s not that easy!«, the host answered and held his fingers up, counting every point with an almost panicked rhythm, «You have to watch out for the heat; get the ingredients; some potions can’t even be mixed in certain seasons; you have to chant the right incantation; practice a lot to know what you have to do step by step! That’s not something someone like _me_ can do, especially not with a potion like _that_!«  
«But you’re skilled«, Jin said and ignored Jisung’s annoyed huff, «Look, I can guarantee you; you will be fine. There isn’t anything you can mess up with the awakening potion apart from one thing and as long as I am here, you can’t mess that up either.«

Jisung tried to remember the recipe for the potion. Though he was prepared to live a life without ever being able to mix potions on his own, he did memorize everything he could. Now that he thought about it, there wasn’t exactly anything really hard about the awakening potion. Just a reason why people refrained from either mixing or buying it; it was forbidden. A holy recipe, given by the god of healing probably hundreds of years ago. Even if you dared making it, without a special ingredient, there was no way it would actually have the effect it should have; which is why there is no awakening potion out there that’s perfectly made. The ingredient isn’t listed in most recipes but Jisung knew it – his mother had told him when he had started learning about potions as a child.

The most important ingredient, said to be added at the very end, right before you chant the prayer as an incantation to finish the potion.

«You’ll know when the potion is done. And even if you did it wrong and gave it Seungmin – nothing would happen, the power that makes him sleep protects him from any harm«, Jin said calmly.   
Jisung felt a soft hand on his shoulder and then warm breath hitting his ear; Minho had leaned down to whisper in his ear softly, «I think you can pull it off. And me and Hyunjin will both guide you, so your magic doesn’t go overboard. Do you trust yourself to do it?«

Somehow, hearing those words calmed Jisung down. Or maybe, it was because Minho was the one who said it. But he took a deep breath and nodded shortly, feeling a tingling sensation on his cheeks; Minho smiled, as if he was proud of him. As if he had achieved something.   
They both flinched when they heard Ednera say in a soft voice, _«I guess the potion maker finally started doing, what he was meant to do.«_

Though, no one but them had heard her. And for some reason, the words felt more like the beginning of something, rather than a simple comment of a long-forgotten goddess…


	10. awakening potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because this chapters are a little bit smaller then the others; a double update for you guys uwu
> 
> and also because I reached 100 Kudos and I kind of wanted to celebrate that ><

**Awakening potion;  
Most potions are ancient recipes of long forgotten sorcerers, documented to serve a purpose. But there are a handful of potions that were made for a holy reason; made for a specific time no one but the god’s themselves knew was even bound to come. The awakening potion is one of them and probably the easiest. It’s simple to make, but there is only one ingredient that could actually make it complete; the honest and pure tear of the god of healing. Only with that one drop of sadness, the awakening potion is serving it’s purpose; awakening anyone from everything. Because only a godly object can actually mess with a godly curse.   
Though, rumour has it that the Commandment of Purity is also holding the key to the perfection of the potion…**

Jisung honestly didn’t know how he ended up here; sitting on Minho’s king-sized bed, a book in his hands and his head resting on the warlock’s thighs as if he had always done so. He wasn’t reading _any_ book though; he read his mother’s potion-book she had used back when she was still alive, trying to memorize every step and every little thing about the awakening potion.  
A soft tap on the book made him look past the recipe and straight into Minho’s face. He was as indifferent as ever, face a mixture of absolute adorableness and beauty – just like always.   
«You’ve been reading this book for two days straight, stop it. Seokjin said he’ll be back in a week, which is plenty of time for you to learn how to make this«, the warlock said and tried grabbing the book to take it away from Jisung.

The host though immediately moved his hands away, «I need to know _exactly_ what ingredient is supposed to be added when and when I need to chant a certain spell-…«  
«I’ve literally heard you listing _all the ingredients_ in the correct order in your sleep last night, you already memorize it!«, Minho interrupted him. Jisung flushed.   
He _knew_ that. He had actually dreamed about it, that’s how thoroughly he had been reading it. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d be reborn as a page of that potion in his next life, that’s how hardly he had learned it. He knew exactly how long it would take him to mix the potion, knew exactly what he needed to do and when.

And just in case you might wonder – for some reason, Jisung couldn’t sleep in his own chamber. He had mixed the special potion he usually needed to sleep peacefully and even took it, but he couldn’t even fall asleep; it was like something was forcing him to stay awake. On another nightly stroll through the mansion, he had stumbled upon Minho, who had been on his way to his own bedroom. They talked and drank some tea – and then, at some point Jisung couldn’t even remember, he fell asleep. When he woke up, he was in Minho’s way too soft bed, the warlock next to him with a decent amount of space between them.  
They developed a habit. A weird one, to be exact.

Jisung only started to realize _how_ _weird_ it really was, when he was thinking about it. He bit his lip and forced himself to place the book down, turning on Minho’s thighs with a visible pout on his lips, his right cheek resting on his forearms, which were comfortably seated on the warlock’s legs. Minho read a book on his own, though not solely focusing on the words written in front of him. The host noticed his eyes gazing at him every now and then, almost as if he wanted to check on Jisung.   
«Are you done freaking out?«, Minho asked and turned the page of his book. A novel, as it seemed. The warlock didn’t look that interested, though, Jisung wasn’t sure if he was bored or just using his resting bitch-face.

It was in that moment again that Jisung clearly saw it, like a picture in front of him; that Minho and he were practically strangers. _And that he was resting his upper body on a stranger’s thigh._

«Hyung…«, Jisung said and therefore totally ignored Minho’s question, gnawing on his lip in deep thought, «I just realized that…we don’t know anything about each other.«  
«I know a lot about you, Jisung«, the warlock answered and slapped the host’s hand away when he wanted to grab his mother’s potion book again. He closed his own book and placed it on top of his mother’s, looking at Jisung with a shaking head and a face that clearly said, _‘Don’t even try it’_.   
Minho sighed, «It’s not like I wanted to keep my life a secret. But with all the things going on, it just never came up. And you also never asked. So if you want to know something, go ahead and ask.«

Probably the worst thing you could say to Han Jisung was, _‘If you want to know something, ask’_. Han Jisung’s brain was a library. He _harboured_ information and it didn’t matter what kind of information.  
When he and Seungmin went to school, there was literally nothing he didn’t know about his classmates. At the beginning, they were confused as to why he knew as much about them. But eventually they got used to the simple fact, that Jisung just _remembered_ all the things they ever said about themselves or others. So when someone offers to share information with him, he did not hesitate to ask.

Not at all.

«I want to know _everything_!«, he said, abruptly pushing himself up on Minho’s legs and literally minimizing the space between their faces so much, that Minho had to lean his head back a little bit.  
«Where did you grow up? Are your parents still alive? Did you have a pet? Do you have siblings? When did you discover your magical powers? Were your parents both warlocks? How was life in Atror? And why did you end up in a cell?!«, Jisung really tried to (okay no, he didn’t really try it) hide his excitement and leave Minho some space and especially time but it was hard.

The warlock though chuckled softly and gazed at the host’s shining eyes, a sudden smirk dancing on his lips as he let his eyes travel between their close position, «Do you want to sit on my lap while listening to the story?«  
Jisung immediately snapped his fingers at Minho’s forehead and sat down cross-legged next to him, grabbing one of the soft pillows and hugging it softly, «Say that again and I don’t want to know anything after all.«

An amused chuckle escaped Minho’s throat, a frown settling on his face as he seemed to search his brain for possible memories and information to share with Jisung. He finally cleared his throat and started off with a strangely nostalgic smile, «My early life as a child isn’t that happy. I never got to know my parents – don’t even remember their faces, names or if we ever did something together. I’m an orphan, simply said. I don’t exactly remember how…but when I was around two years old, a woman found me. She took me in, tried to ask where I came from. She thought that I lost my parents. Atror is a big city and it happens, you know?«, Minho’s smile got sad all of a sudden, his hands absentmindedly starting to play with the dark patterns on his sheets, «But after some time she realized, that I wasn’t lost. And that I didn’t have any parents. So she…took care of me. Her name was Lee Yerin – hence why my last name is Lee. I didn’t have a name; so she named me Minho because it means grace and joy. She said that, even though I think it doesn’t suit me, I’ll realize the true meaning of my name one day. Yerin raised me up and went through…a lot of trouble by doing so.«

Jisung wasn’t so sure if he should say something or react in any way – but he didn’t even dare to hum in approval. The warlock sighed and continued, «Telling you my whole life story would take too long. But uhm…when I was thirteen, I met Hyunjin. We became friends pretty fast; his mansion though was really far away from Atror, so we barely met up. Back then, his father was still alive. He died shortly after his twelfth birthday and it was then that hell called him to be the warlock of pride. We did some…pretty dumb things together in our teenage years…«  
Honestly, the host didn’t know that Minho and Hyunjin had known each other for so long.

Which immediately made Jisung question…  
«Wait, how old is Hyunjin?«, he asked and watched the warlock’s face twist from nostalgia to amusement. «He’s the same age as you.«  
Jisung needed a few seconds to process that answer before staring at the latter with a totally confused expression. Minho smirked and pointed at himself, «I’m two years older than you both, by the way.«  
He didn’t know why that fact shocked him as much as it did. He knew that Minho was older than him. Hyunjin had called him Hyung a few, _very few_, times. Jisung just assumed that Hyunjin was _way_ older than him. For whatever reason. It wasn’t like Hyunjin looked any older or behaved older to begin with. Maybe it was due to the simple knowledge of him, being one of the seven sins. Or just because he was way taller than him in general (which pissed Jisung off even more, now that he knew they were the same age).

The host decided to drop the topic, «Okay, you’re right. Your whole story takes too long. Let me ask some questions instead.«  
Minho shrugged and waited patiently for Jisung to ask his first question.  
«What were you doing in Atror? I assume you were doing something do gain money…right?«, he asked and watched the warlock’s face morph into a nervous gaze for a few second before he cleared his voice and shook his head, «My mother, Yerin, was running a bakery. Hence why I’m good at cooking and baking. But when I met Hyunjin, she had decided to let Jeongin help us with our magical power because he’s a nine-tailed fox. So when I turned fifteen, I went to live with him.«

Jisung almost forgot about Jeongin up until Minho mentioned him, «Oh right, Jeongin-ie! Did he look the same back then?!«  
«He was visibly younger and smaller, barely able to actually hold his human form for longer than two days. That was due to the lack of magical power he could depend on. When Hyunjin’s father died, Jeongin’s bond was destroyed. Hyunjin wanted to keep him though, given the fact that they literally grew up together. He restored the bond with him as soon as Jeongin had taught us both how to control our magic better«, Minho answered calmly.

The next question literally burned on Jisung’s tongue. He was curious of a lot of things – Minho had avoided answering some of his questions really smoothly if he didn’t want to talk about it by just joking around or making Jisung flustered. Just like he did earlier, when the host literally covered him with questions. Jisung knew that the thing that interested him the most right now was a sensitive topic for Minho because he never talked about it, not even with Hyunjin. And when they did, they usually started shouting at each other just to ignore the other for the rest of the day.  
He knew that because he had heard them a few times, even witnessed it once.   
Though, Minho was calm and collected right now. Maybe he could give it a shot…?

«Can I ask you something…? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but please don’t get angry at me…«, Jisung muttered and watched the warlock’s gaze turn soft within a second. Minho nodded calmly and the host dared to say it, «I know you said you’re innocent but…uhm-…I’m curious either way; why were you held captive in Atror? What did they accuse you of doing…?«

Minho’s smile fell and he stared at Jisung with an expression lacking any emotion. But it didn’t seem like he was mad or angry – no, more like he was getting tired of this. A sigh left his lips and he shook his head softly, «I’m afraid I can’t tell you the exact reason as for now. But…«, he hesitated. It was actually really weird – though it seemed like he wanted to tell Jisung the truth, he didn’t know how. Jisung didn’t understand why he couldn’t just tell him, but he decided to let it be and be satisfied with whatever Minho offered to share.

At least for now.

The warlock swallowed but held their weird eye-contact as he said, «I was accused of doing something really bad. Because it seemed like I did it. But I didn’t. Hyunjin is really mad at me because he also doesn’t know what exactly happened in Atror. I was there for a reason I can’t tell you. And then things got…out of hand.«

It was vague. Really, almost like nothing. The information didn’t really tell him anything important or anything actually worth remembering. But Jisung knew he’d remember all of those things anyways. He nodded and smiled reassuringly, «…Okay. Like I said, you don’t have to tell me if you really don’t want to.«  
The latter shook his head fast, «No! It’s not like I don’t want to tell you it’s just…«, he clenched his jaw, hands clenched to a fist, «…I’m not allowed to tell you. I _literally_, really…_can’t_. I want to. But the words just won’t leave my lips, do you understand?«

Jisung was confused, «Why not?«  
«Because of the divina-…«, the warlock stopped mid-sentence, winced and closed his eyes, almost as if someone had pinched his arm or hit him. Jisung watched him breath through his nose and noticed a sudden red spot on the warlock’s plain white shirt. He nodded in understanding, deciding to ignore the obvious wound Minho had on his arm and acting like he didn’t notice anything, «I understand. You can’t tell me yet – do it when you’re ready.«

They went on with some other random questions like their favourite food and weird things they did as kids and teenagers. Minho was tense but started loosening up a little bit with Jisung distracting him from the topic they had earlier by asking him a bunch of unrelated or unpersonal things. Though, he knew that he had to go look up spells of restriction and oaths in Hyunjin’s library. Because whatever hurt Minho, it stopped him from telling anyone what exactly happened when he fled Atror.

But before that, he needed to awaken Seungmin.

\-----

Seokjin was like a whirlwind of literally everything that annoyed Hyunjin, as it seemed. Every time they greeted each other, they exchanged tight smiles and passive-aggressive assaults (Jisung admittedly only assumed that, he hadn’t seen them meeting up that often yet). They never actually shouted at each other – it was more like they were trying to act like they were the best friends when they really hated each other’s guts.

Maybe it was because they were complete opposites by nature. Hyunjin was pride, revulsion, arrogance. He was the resemblance of a sin, a powerful warlock; while Seokjin was the Commandment of Purity, a great wizard who represented purity like no one else did. Perhaps, they really just couldn’t help but resent each other?

Jisung didn’t know and frankly didn’t care anyways when Jin stepped closer to him and offered his charming smile, broad figure once again wearing luxurious, probably expensive pieces.  
«Jisung-ie, my favourite Dongsaeng! Are you ready to break some bones!«, Jin greeted him and engulfed his visibly way smaller body in a tight hug. The host swallowed and tried to push Seokjin away, assuming that the wizard obviously didn’t know about his own strength.  
«U-Uhm…yes?«, he answered but knew it had sounded more like a question than an answer.

The wizard detached himself from Jisung and nodded, taking a small vial out of the inner pocket of his (shimmering black?!) jacket, «Good. Cause this is what’ll help you catch the final ingredient.«

Jisung frowned. He knew that originally, only the god of healing could offer the holy ingredient.

Then it struck him and Jin smiled proudly, pointing at himself, «You’re absolutely right; as the Commandment of Purity, my tears are just as holy as a god’s tears. Because nothing else is as pure as my magic.«

They proceeded to walk towards the basement, where Hyunjin harboured all of his ingredients and even a pot. He said that he had to know the basic knowledge of how to mix simple potions because he was a warlock of the seven sins. But given the fact that he wasn’t a magical potion maker, he couldn’t actually do it as good. Warlocks _could_ mix potions, but they lacked the full potential of the potion’s true power because their magic didn’t suit it. It simply wasn’t the same chemistry.

Through out the whole week, Minho and Hyunjin had tried to teach Jisung how to handle the magic in his body. He almost burned down the kitchen and after that almost flooded the dining room. But somehow, they managed and Hyunjin had decided to cast a restricting spell on him during the whole time Jisung would need to mix the potion.  
He knew every single step, every ingredient needed and every spell or word he needed to chant. He couldn’t possibly mess this up – like they said, the awakening potion wasn’t hard; it was just holy.

Jisung had prepared himself and the table with the pot on it. He knew which spell to use to heat it up or cool it down. He knew when it had to take over which colour. He had even placed the ingredients and tools needed next to the pot.  
Seokjin sat down on one of the (dusty) armchairs in the big room full of shelves filled with ingredients and plants of all kinds, a book neatly placed on his legs. «I’m going to stay here because you’ll need my tear as soon as you’re done with the easy part. So start as soon as you’re ready and call me when you need me.«

Hearing it from Jin sounded so…easy. Like Jisung just had to bake a freakin’ bread. Or a cake. Or make noodles. Or rice.   
He heard an annoyed hiss and turned to look at Minho, who just so stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. The warlock had to explain to the other people in this house why they couldn’t watch Jisung mixing the potion. Felix and Jeongin had both begged to witness it, Yeji acted like she didn’t care but always huffed in disappointment every time Minho and Hyunjin had said no.   
Ryujin was busy looking after Seungmin and had encouragingly smiled at Jisung when he had went to visit his friend to ease his nerves a little bit. Not like it had actually eased any of Jisung’s nerves; rather, it made him even more nervous because _let’s suppose _he would totally mess up at the most important part…Seungmin would have to stay like this for longer than needed. Or _let’s suppose_ the potion just didn’t work – Seungmin would have to stay in this condition until he woke up on his own or…maybe stayed like this forever.

A chill ran down Jisung’s spine.

He jumped slightly when he felt something softly poking his cheek and turned to look at the culprit, eyes meeting Minho’s soft and calm gaze. His eyes blinked a soft magenta again; pure and encouraging, almost _lovingly_, «Don’t overthink. This is what you are meant to do. It’s in your bones. Just trust Hyunjin to control your magic and if you need anything, tell me and I’ll try to do it, no matter what.«  
Jisung nodded. He shouldn’t be as nervous. It was just a potion mixing. He was just mixing a potion. He could do this.

Yes, it was in his bones. He brewed his special sleep potion every month. He knew how to use incantations; his brain had memorized everything; literally nothing could go wrong.

He took a deep breath and nodded to himself, then turning to look at Hyunjin with a soft smile. The warlock mimicked his nod and snapped his fingers, a bright green light shining around his hands and falling down to the ground like small droplets of glitter. His eyes were closed as he started the incantation, _«Like roots placing themselves within the earth; like walls keeping evil away; I’m embracing the source of your magic and control its way; I command thee to obey my restriction, **Terminus**!«_  
It almost felt like someone put a lock on Jisung’s magical power. He could feel the fresh magic of Hyunjin’s nature power, could feel it as if he was actually holding his magic on a rope. It felt both, suffocating and reassuring at the same time. Jisung knew that he could block Hyunjin’s power out if he really tried to, but he would probably get hurt by it – now that he was in direct, magical contact with the warlock, he felt his true power for the first time. It was almost overwhelming. Hyunjin had obviously explained the theory of this restriction; that didn’t mean Jisung didn’t react to the feeling of something foreign holding on to his magical power.

He felt a soft touch on his wrist and looked to Minho, who looked at him with the calmest expression someone had ever gazed at him with, «Don’t react. It’s just Hyunjin and you know that. He won’t let you use too much or too less magic. He’ll sense how much you’ll need for a spell to work. Just start whenever you’re ready and don’t mind him. Act like he isn’t here.«  
Ignoring Hyunjin’s totally offended _‘Hey!’_, Jisung nodded softly and turned to look at the table in front of him.

He took yet another deep breath and zoned everything and everyone out, solely concentrating on what he needed to do right now; brewing a potion.   
_Here goes nothing…_, he thought and recalled the first thing he needed to do according to the recipe: _«First, squeeze the Ash Moss with a mortar and put the result in a cup.«_

The Ash Moss was weirdly hard, he thought he heard Hyunjin mumbling an apology for it to be a little bit dusty and cold down here, hence why it probably was so hard. Jisung concentrated and did the next step, _«Add some clean water to turn it into a messy mix, then add the Pygmy Root in small amounts at a time«_.

While the mixture needed a little bit once he had finished adding the Pygmy Root, he turned to the pot, which was filled with holy water. According to the recipe, he needed it to be unholy – damn Hyunjin and his water! After successfully chanting a spell to make the water boil a little bit, Jisung tried to think of something to stain the holy water with something unholy. He turned to look at Hyunjin and took his hand, ignoring the warlock’s confused complains while searching for the knife he knew he had somewhere here. Hyunjin was a sin – an embodiment of unholiness. There was nothing that could sting holy water as good as a sin itself. And therefore, without hesitating, Jisung said a fast but clear _‘Sorry’_ before poking Hyunjin’s finger with the knife and letting a few droplets of his blood fall into the pot. He chanted a simple **_«Espondeo«_**, a short magical order for something to react. The water turned a soft grey and Jisung quickly discarded Hyunjin, ignoring his complains again, totally engulfed in adding the Ash Moos and Pygmy Root to it.

He bit his lip and checked if the water was really boiling before continuing on to the next step; _«Add something fun«_.  
Both him and Minho had thought a lot through out the week what could possibly be _something fun_. They had decided to choose something children liked and used, something that made literally everyone happy. Therefore; a chocolate bar. He carefully put the whole bar inside and waited for the water to switch its colour from a matt grey to a soft rosy; which it did. For a short moment, Jisung felt proud – but then he forced himself to concentrate on the next step; _«Let it reduce until it has changed colour from a light rosy to a bright red before adding the Flux Chervil and Mage Licorice, in that order«_.

Jisung glanced at the clock hanging next to the shelf and directly over Seokjin’s head. He didn’t notice it but apparently, he had been mixing for a solid hour now. In his peripheral vision, he saw the water turn red slowly and prepared the Flux Chervil, crumbling it over the pot while chanting **_«Misce«_**_,_ the incantation to mix something thoroughly. He stirred the potion for a bit and then added the Mage Licorice the same way, waiting for the potion to turn pitch black.

When it did, Jisung needed to wait for the final step, _«Gently warm the currently disgusting mixture, mix in the Sanguine Tea Leaf and let everything cool down with a spell, so that it's roughly as cool as the cool side of a pillow«_.  
He sighed and picked up the Sanguine Tea Leaf, closing his eyes and chanted **_«Cursus«_**, which made the Sanguine mellower and more effective. He finally added it and spoke the incantation to cool it down, watching it turn a little bit lighter but still dark grey.

He took out the swimming left-overs and exhaled a long breathe, «Seokjin. It’s time for the tear«, he said, shocked at his own voice – it was determined and strong, almost unknown to himself even. The wizard stood up from his seat, gently placing his book on the armchair he had been sitting on up until now, walking over to stand right in front of Jisung, who was ready to catch the tear with the vial he had gotten from Jin.

Seokjin sighed and smiled an almost heart-breaking smile, «I know that Seungmin is very important to you. Which is why I will grant you the purest of all tears you could get. So please don’t share the things you’ll see when you add it to the potion…«  
Jisung knew that whatever Seokjin was thinking of to make him cry, he would see it in his inner eye. It was the price he paid for receiving such a gift and the price Seokjin paid for offering such a tear. It was holy indeed. But nothing he would do for simply anyone.  
One of many reasons why both, the Powerful Warlocks and the Great Wizards, had to stay hidden from the people in Ifith. Because all of them held something in their hands that was worth killing for.

The wizard closed his eyes once Jisung nodded softly, seemingly thinking of whatever made him want to cry. Jisung gently held the vial up when a tear escaped Jin’s eyes, the wizard obviously refraining from moving too much, aggressively biting his lip and then abruptly turning around, a heart-breaking sob being heard from him. He breathed in and out loudly before looking towards Jisung again, who bowed his head thankfully and closed his eyes, concentrating on the tear. It was so small and yet full of magic and emotion. He forced himself to relax against Hyunjin’s now obvious restrain, feeling that his magic would’ve gotten out of hand without the warlock.

Taking a deep breathe, Jisung allowed the magic in Jin’s tear to flood his senses, his inner eye witnessing a whirl of pictures and scenes; Seokjin laughing; Seokjin smiling; Seokjin being angry and Seokjin crying; roses in various colours; white; pink; yellow; though, as Jisung noted, no red rose; he saw dimples; a face hidden by the weird fog of memories, stained with a single tear rolling down its cheek, and then, finally; darkness.  
Seokjin’s tear was a tear full of longing; of broken promises and forgotten beautiful moments; _a tear of love_.  
He felt the magic travel from his head through his whole body until he felt it in his fingertips, the words forming themselves through the pictures he had seen, trying to hold back the tears himself while chanting the incantation, _«With gratitude and humbleness I beg you to bless this with the power to clean; pure as you and honest as a white paper, answer my prayer, Okthos, God of Healing; **Suscito!**«_

With the end of the incantation, he let the tear drop out of the vial and into the pot, feeling his eyes burn for a few seconds before blinking away the dizziness and shaking his head lightly, waiting for the potion to react like it was supposed to.

Everyone had started crowding around the pot, Jisung feeling Minho’s warm breath at his neck.

If it worked, the potion would turn from the ugly dark grey to a soft, pure ivory-like colour with some golden sprinkles in it.

They waited, Jisung’s heart beating loudly – he was almost sure Minho could hear it, that’s <strike>how near he was</strike> how loud it rang in his own ears.

Finally, it started smoking a little bit, all of them swallowing loudly as they watched its colour change…

\-----

Ryujin had a tender and calm aura. She was literally the purest and nicest person Jisung had the pleasure to meet so far. Her voice was sweet and quiet, but not silent in any way. She was patient and listened intently. The way she moved was elegant.

And everything she did was done thoroughly and patiently.

Jisung usually adored her for this – but honestly wanted to rip her hair out when she moved as slow as a snail while giving Seungmin a puny bit of the awakening potion. She gently held his head up, slowly made him drink the ivory-goldish mixture and just for that they all had to wait for almost five minutes.

They waited. Seokjin had told him even before they filled the perfectly done potion into a bottle, that even though the potion was perfect, it could still be that Seungmin wouldn’t wake up. The host knew that – though, he was nervous, nonetheless. He usually had patience but not in this moment.  
His usually calm body seemed to itch, not only because Hyunjin had slowly detached himself from his inner magical power, which made him feel weirdly…free. Also because the whole situation just edged him and _he just freaking mixed a holy potion perfectly at his first try._

Ryujin gently put down Seungmin’s head and stepped back a little bit, all of them waiting for something to happen. Honestly, no one really knew for what – a movement? A breath? Or a simple change in his whole…being right now?

The host felt a hand squeeze his softly, returning the squeeze gently. He knew that it was Minho, had become familiar with the warlock’s warm touches, encouraging pokes and calming realization of just him _being here._ Jisung would’ve continued to ask himself _once again_ why Minho was so weirdly familiar and calming to him, the thought disappeared though as soon as Seungmin’s eyes moved. He first thought that his eyes were betraying him, honestly; how Seungmin’s skin got more colour, how his eyes seemed to move more, and his breathing got better, stronger, more obvious.

At least until Seungmin’s eyes slowly fluttered open, a groan escaping the poor boy’s lips as he moved. It almost looked like he was just waking up from a really long sleep, his upper body straightening and sitting up, a yawn leaving his mouth as he stretched his probably really stiff muscles, «Naeun, I had the weirdest dream ever…«, he mumbled and immediately stiffened as soon as he realized that there was no Naeun, that he was nowhere near his usual chamber in the temple and that he was not alone.

Jisung couldn’t help himself, a tear escaping his eyes as the young priest met the host’s relieved gaze, confusion and worry evident on his puppy face, «Sungie? Why are you crying? Where am I? What happened-…«

Seungmin’s words were interrupted by Jisung running towards him, hugging his best friend tightly and almost sitting on his lap. The priest was dumfounded, stiffened and frowned upon hearing his best friend sob and cry against his neck. He patted Jisung’s head after some time, worryingly asking him what’s wrong.  
But in that moment, Jisung couldn’t answer. In that moment, he was just happy; happy that his best friend finally woke up; happy that he didn’t have to die; happy that after all of those hard times, he finally had something really good.

Jisung was too immersed in crying and hugging his best friend to hear anything else. Not Seokjin’s loud sobbing while watching them; nor Felix and Jeongin who were both teasing Hyunjin for trying to hide his own tears or Yeji who had to pat Ryujin’s back when she had started crying loudly.  
And most importantly he didn’t hear Ednera’s velvety voice ringing in his head. But Minho did and it was the only reason his smile momentarily dropped.  
**_«I guess…it’ll finally begin«_**, she said.

No one noticed the warlock’s hard swallow and tense muscles.

_And no one knew that what had happened in Enos up until now…was only the beginning. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo much for reading!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it uwu  
Seungmin is finally awake and we got some really important information from Minho :D  
What do you think is going on with him? Do you think Minho is hiding more...? Or does he know anything at all...?  
Well, well...who knows :3


	11. rage potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~  
I'm back with another chapter uwu
> 
> I don't actually have much to say except for a small warning;   
This chapter contains mentions of anxiety and panic attacks. If you're not comfortable with this or if this is a triggering topic for you, please skip the chapter and leave a comment to me so I can tell you what happened in the chapter without you missing anything. Please watch out for yourselves and stay healthy!

**Rage potion;  
There shouldn’t be much to talk about, considering this is pretty self-explanatory. A single drop of this potion can make you go completely berserk without any reason; the rage potion seems useless and unnecessary, though people use it in from of pranks quite often. It’s funny to watch your best friend throw a fit because of nothing but the cold wind or just people breathing around you. But be careful to never give the rage potion to someone who’s already angered or pissed-off. That would make the person go completely insane and rage wouldn’t be enough to explain their state of mind. I mean, we won’t stop you from being stupid if you want to die.   
Just thought it could be useful to mention that around forty percent of the crimes happening in Ifith are due to the improper use of the rage potion…**

_Weird dreams should be something Jisung was used to. Funny enough, he wasn’t. And it wasn’t like he was having…weird dreams, to begin with. He just felt weird dreaming it._

_In the beginning, it was awful. The same ugly feeling. The same brutal scenes. The same woman. Over. And over. And over again. Kritix didn’t stop dying in front of Jisung. Every time he fell asleep, he watched her dying in his dreams. Again and again. With no one to help her, nothing to stop this darkness from killing her.  
When he first started having the same dream continuously, he didn’t try to save her. Kritix had said the exact same things to him she had already told him when he dreamed of her for the very first time; that he should wake up. And so, he did. Not without panting and sweating of course, but he did. He thought that he made it through another weird dream. But oh – was he wrong._

_The next night he fell asleep, he woke up again to this wide field. This green sky. This beautiful voice singing a lullaby. Just to watch her getting ruthlessly killed by shadows without him being able to do anything else but following her words; waking up._

_He continued dreaming like that for another two days until he had decided that it must be something in the real world that made him dream like this. So he sneaked himself into a certain warlock’s chambers through a certain secret pathway and cuddled up to him, hoping that he could finally get some real rest and good sleep. Unfortunately, even before he could wake up because Kritix ordered him to do so in his dream, Minho furiously shook him awake with magenta glowing eyes, concern clearly overshadowing his beautiful features. When the warlock had asked him why he even was here to begin with, Jisung just shook his head and fell back asleep without answering his question. He never answered it, to be exact. _

_Instead, Jisung continued sleeping next to the warlock, trying to sleep, hoping that the dreams would go away.   
They didn’t. _

_At some point, he decided that it didn’t matter what he did in his dream. He constantly had lucid dreams – he might as well have some fun in it. So instead of waiting for the shadows to kill Kritix, he ignored her and walked towards another direction. Instead of watching her getting killed, he tried ending it for her before the shadows could. Instead of waiting for those shadows to rip his legs open again, he tried summoning a knife in his dreams and did so himself.  
But then, he started to feel bad because of it. Jisung couldn’t help but feel like Kritix actually felt what he saw in his dreams. Like she saw how he acted. And so, instead of listening to her and waking up when she told him to, he ran towards her. He tried to save her. He really did. _

_But no matter what he did, the dream always ended the same way – with Kritix smiling at him in the saddest way, telling him to be save and wake up. _

_And he always did. _

_So when Jisung opened his eyes upon meeting a green sky, he couldn’t help but groan out loud. It had been two and a half weeks since he started having those dreams. Every. Single. Night. And he wasn’t only done with it by now – he was exhausted. It felt like even when he should be able to get some damn energy, he was awake all the god damn time! Dreaming felt like being awake. And obviously, when he was awake for real, it also felt like he was awake.  
What a genius thought.  
Jisung rolled his eyes; it seemed like his brain started to get dumber and dumber in more than just one way thanks to the lack of sleep. _

_He sat up on the grass and listened to Kritix’ sweet, sweet voice, humming the sweet, sweet melody of a sweet, sweet song. Oh, how sweet. With a grunt, he stood up and walked towards her, knowing exactly when she would stop singing, being startled at his sudden appearance, staring at him totally shocked just to look around in total fright when the world suddenly turned dark and bloody red. She started screaming for help. Again. _

_And though Jisung felt fear and pity for her, he was also frustrated, «I know!«, he said and stepped forward, ignoring the pain of the shadows clawing at his ankles, «What do you want me to do?! I tried! I tried to help you, I tried everything! I tried to wake up, I tried to ignore you, I tried to run towards you! I tried to be faster than the shadows!«_

_Kritix seemed confused. And that confused Jisung. She never seemed confused. She always continued calling for help.  
Though she still didn’t try to run away, she didn’t do what she normally did in this dream; when she opened her mouth, she didn’t tell him to wake up, **«You can’t be faster than destiny.«**_

_For a moment, Jisung was too startled to say anything. He didn’t know how to answer this. He didn’t even expect her to react to his sudden emotional (and tired) outburst. A sudden pain on his breast made him fall onto his knees, his eyes though not missing Kritix’ shocked expression. He knew it. He knew that feeling – when everything started to swirl around, when everything seemed to blend in with everything. A feeling like…like falling down into a dark hole but instead of falling; he’s waking up.  
The last thing he heard was the same thing Kritix always said at the end, right before the shadows finally swallowed her up and her dull screams of pain haunted him, «You need to wake up, Jisung.«_

_Though this time, even though she didn’t say anything different than usually, it felt like her words held another meaning…_

\-----

This time, when Jisung opened his eyes, he was met with a displeased stare right over his face. He didn’t scream, he didn’t even jolt up. Instead, he felt like his back was dying and he knew that he lay on the floor next to Minho’s king-sized bed. And the warlock stared over the edge of it and down onto the magic potion maker with a strange mixture of worry and anger.

_Anger_ wasn’t exactly the best word to describe his look though – more like…_pissed-off._ Or _done with this shit._ Certainly the last thing.  
Jisung tried to smile innocently, «Did I…wake you up?«  
«Do you want me to throw you out of the window?«, Minho answered and Jisung shook his head.

The warlock sighed and helped Jisung back onto the soft mattress, running a hand through his dark locks with a tired yawn, «Do you want to tell me what’s wrong or do you have another lame excuse or lie for not telling me anything at all?«

Jisung heaved a sigh. He had been sleeping in Minho’s bed for the past one and half week and was a constant nuisance to him; constantly waking up, either almost crying or in pain or just totally scared because – have you ever dreamed of a person dying?   
But even though Minho always helped him cleaning up the wounds on Jisung’s legs, the scratches on his arms from trying to reach her, once even trying to pull her out of the shadows…the warlock didn’t say or ask anything. Instead, Jisung just randomly excused those things with the biggest and dumbest lies one could think of; he trained with Felix that day; he went searching for herbs and got stuck in a bush with Hyunjin; he accidentally cut himself while cooking…the list was long and full of ridiculous excuses.

He figured that Minho at least deserved to know what was going on inside of Jisung’s head, considering the warlock didn’t run to anyone, didn’t tell the others that they were literally sleeping in the same bed since what felt like forever and he never pushed him.

Except for tonight.

Jisung quickly glanced over to the grandfather clock on the other side of the room, next to the door, squinting his eyes in the darkness to see that it was three in the morning. There was no doubt that Minho was tired – especially tired of dealing with this every freaking night.

And so, the host decided to be honest, «I’ve been having the same dream about Kritix dying for almost three weeks every night and I don’t know what to do or why I even have them in the first place.«  
«Yeah, sure, stop lying-…«, Minho – who seemed to have expected another ridiculous excuse, stopped himself mid-sentence and stared at Jisung through his lashes totally dumbfounded. It was almost cute, how he snapped his finger and made the candle on his nightstand burn, a soft light flickering and illuminating the room, «I’m sorry _what_?«

A sigh left Jisung’s lips as he started explaining his dreams to the warlock, his eyes focusing on the cute little candle and his words just didn’t seem to stop. He knew that he started ranting when he started talking about how he tried to help her. And from then on, he just lost focus on what he was supposed to talk about anyways, «I-…I tried to save her! I really did! But every time, she died. And when I woke up, like, when I was in the process of waking up, I could hear her screams – the dull echo of whatever those shadows were doing to her because _I couldn’t_ help her! And I-…! I-…!«

He didn’t know he had started to cry until he saw it in the reflection of Minho’s worried sick, magenta glowing eyes. The warlock was looking at him with so much concern that Jisung almost started being worried about his own sanity at this point. He tried to stop the tears because honestly; _he didn’t even know what he was crying over_. But the first hiccup left his lips, followed by another, followed by the sudden flow of tears, a strangled sound escaping his lips as he buried his face in his hands. Jisung didn’t really try to stop himself from shamelessly crying without knowing why, to be honest. Not anymore. The tears just didn’t stop, and it seriously, _really_ started to hurt – he couldn’t _breathe_.

The rational part of his subconsciousness rolled its eyes and told him to stop overreacting like this. It was the inner voice that said, _«Don’t do it«_, which made him even more freaked out for…well, yeah, you guessed it; exactly no reason.   
The feeling of not being able to breathe became suffocating – which was ridiculous, Jisung knew that there was enough air to breathe, that he didn’t need to suck it in like that, that he was save and that nothing could actually harm him or hurt him right now. But somehow…that didn’t calm him down. Not at all.

Maybe it was just because he was tired. Or maybe he just witnessed a long-forgotten goddess die one time too often. Or maybe, just maybe, he finally lost his sanity.

It wasn’t the first time this happened to him. He already had that once when he was a child, a week after he finally realized that his father would never return. He had blamed himself back then. Blamed it on something he did, blamed it on not being a good child. Today, of course, he knew that it doesn’t have anything to do with this, rather than his father just being a coward. But back then, he had randomly started to cry in class, within a normal lesson, just like that. And not even Seungmin was able to calm him down – he had just cried, cried so much, the feeling of something blocking the air out of his lungs making him forget everything around himself. The memory itself was a blur, the next thing Jisung remembered up until this day even was his mother gently holding his face in her hand, wiping away the tears and swaying from side to side, humming a soft but broken lullaby.

And then, of course, it had also happened when his mother had been executed from the government. A memory Jisung didn’t like. Of course not, who liked the memory of his own mother’s lifeless body hanging on a string, swaying back and forth as if she was still alive? Jisung had been shocked to his core, Seungmin had dragged him away from the scene, back to his house. And there, he just broke down – the same way he did back in school and the same way he did right now.

Everything was a blur.

Until he felt a sudden dull pain on his left cheek. It burned, it felt awful, to be exact. But it was what brought him back from his memories, back from his headspace and back from whatever dark hole he had been falling into.

The blur started to disappear, showing a worried sick glare from Seungmin right in front of him. Jisung had no idea how much time had passed but apparently, some time during his panic attack, Minho must’ve gotten up and called the others. The host absentmindedly reached his hand up to touch his cheek, his face feeling like it’s vibrating. He was surprised at his own hoarse voice when he mumbled an almost non-existing, «O-Ouch…«

It seemed like Seungmin had smacked him.

Seungmin. Had. Smacked. Him.

Seungmin never smacked Jisung. Yes, of course – there had been thousands of smacks on the head, light pinches or flicks on his forehead. But the young priest had never, _ever_, smacked his face like this.  
At this point, Jisung was pretty sure he was tired and that was the main reason for the tears welling up in his eyes again, «W-Why did you hit me?«

He really, this time _for real_, tried to stop his tears but he couldn’t stop himself from tearing up and crying all over again, too shocked at the fact that Seungmin actually _hit_ him.  
«Are you insane?!«, Hyunjin complained and smacked the back of Seungmin’s skull, «Why did you do that?!«  
«I-…I didn’t know what else to do! He didn’t hear any of us, what else was I supposed to do?!«, Seungmin snapped back at the warlock and they started discussing, only stopping when a loud thud echoed through the whole room, making Jisung hiccup again and stop crying for a second.

His eyes landed on Minho, who had the most intense magenta in his eyes Jisung had ever seen. This time though, he seemed furious – _infuriated_, to be exact. Jisung could feel the air around him shake, like his magic was two seconds away from bursting.

He never realized until now – his magical power was immense.

«Who the hell told you it was okay to slap his face? I didn’t call you to hurt him even more«, Minho’s voice was weirdly calm, but that only added onto the odd feeling they all had – the odd feeling that one wrong move could kill them all. Even though Minho would never do that, not to his friends anyways. But the look in his eyes when Hyunjin stepped forward made the Warlock of Pride stop in his movement almost immediately. Instead, Hyunjin swallowed and said, «Calm down.«  
Minho laughed – in the most sarcastic and pissed-off way someone could actually laugh. Felix, who stood a metre away from the warlock, stepped back a strategic step, probably also sensing the sudden rise in magical power, how the air got _even_ _thicker_.  
«_Don’t hurt him_«, Minho said pointedly and glared at Seungmin, «_And I’m calm_. Understood?«

They all nodded even though it was only directed at Seungmin.

Jisung sniffled, making the warlock look at him with calm, worried eyes. He had been standing next to him the whole time without saying anything, but now gently pushed away some of Jisung’s blonde hair. It was weird, honestly – his energy had been nothing but daring and furious; but now, he was kind and calm, warm and considerate.   
«I’m sorry, Sung-ie«, Seungmin mumbled and stared at the ground in shame, «I was just scared. I’ve never seen you like this ever since your mother…I’m sorry.«

A few seconds passed in which Jisung let Minho silently treat his red cheek, accepting the warlock’s handkerchief to wipe away the stray tears on his face. He was finally back in his mind and felt embarrassed, to say the least. But overall, he was tired.

Still so, so tired.

He lightly shook his head and smiled reassuringly at Minho, who retracted from him but remained standing right next to the bed.   
«N-No«, Jisung sniffled and looked at Seungmin calmly, «I’m sorry. I don’t know what got over me. I freaked out. I’m sorry I woke all of you.«

«Well technically, Minho did«, Felix dared to say and earned a glare from Hyunjin, though, Minho himself laughed nervously, «Yes. I’m also sorry, I just didn’t know what to do.«  
It seemed like the anger from earlier was gone – like it was never here to begin with. Jisung pushed the thought away and wanted to say something else, was interrupted by Ryujin’s soft voice though. He almost forgot the girl was here.  
«I think we should all go back to sleep and talk about this tomorrow. You look awfully tired, Jisung-ah«, she said and walked over to the night stand, calmly placing a small bottle down on it. «This is a mixture that should calm you down. From what Minho-ssi had told us, you weren’t able to sleep properly for unknown reasons but…maybe this will help.«

And just like that, everyone went back to sleep, Jisung promising Seungmin that he wasn’t mad and there was absolutely nothing to be sorry for. He had been shocked, yes. But now that Jisung was back in his right mind, he knew that he only reacted the way he did because of the shock itself.

When the door finally closed, there was a sickening silence in the room.

Minho blew out the candle once Jisung swallowed the mixture and climbed into the bed next to Jisung, suddenly embracing him without hesitating for a second, «You really scared me…«

And Jisung didn’t know why but somehow, the warmth of the warlock lulled him into a sleep missing any dreams. Maybe it really was because he was so tired. Or maybe because of the herbal mixture.

His heart definitely didn’t beat loudly in his chest.

It certainly didn’t.

\-----

The following day, Jisung had to explain to the others what he dreamed about and when Hyunjin had asked him why he started freaking out, he simply couldn’t answer. He didn’t know. It was weird, now that he thought about it – the bare memory itself made him frown in confusion, for he wasn’t exactly someone to cry easily or often. Seungmin definitely agreed on that one, saying that Jisung never really cried unless he had a reason to.

The topic quickly ended with Hyunjin, saying he’ll try to stop Kritix’s soul from evading Jisung’s mind (since he was the warlock of nature and connected to her). But once everyone left the room, including Jisung himself, Hyunjin and Minho were alone in the salon. They started talking to each other quietly, but quickly changed their tones to louder words.  
_«You can’t freak out like this! Not when the guards are still looking for you!«_, Hyunjin argued loudly and Jisung shivered at the thought of the holy guards.  
He could clearly hear Minho’s stressed groan, _«I didn’t intend to lose control! I just…slipped!«_  
_«You need to stop this, Minho«_, there was a sickening silence, Jisung could almost see the way Hyunjin looked at the other warlock in the most disappointed and lecturing way possible, _«You can’t get attached. Not like this. Ednera would never-…«_

The rest of the words disappeared, Hyunjin probably lowering his tone upon calming down.

And Jisung knew that lurking wasn’t nice or polite. But he was extremely curious. Instead of pressing his ear to the door and probably get caught, he decided to distract himself and hold the little amount of dignity he still had, walking towards the library. The last thing he needed right now was another mystery. And besides, he had some things to research and now that Hyunjin and Minho were – once again – busy with discussing, he could finally do so.

On his way to the library, he met Jeongin, who clawed up to his shoulder in his fox-form and nuzzled his nose into Jisung’s neck, _«Hyung! I’m happy that you feel better now! Master will try everything to keep Kritix from you.«_  
A soft chuckle escaped the host’s lips, «I’m sure of it, Jeongin-ie. Why are you even in your fox-form? Are you tired?«  
The nine-tailed fox shook his head, climbing over to Jisung’s other shoulder with delicate and expert steps, _«No, I’m just more comfortable like this. I honestly only use my human-form when I need to cast certain spells or go outside.«_ – another short nuzzle, this time a soft poke to Jisung’s cheek with the fox’s pointy nose – _«And in this form, I can sleep on Hyung’s lap without being too heavy!«_

Something about Jeongin’s cheery character and sweet voice always managed to cheer Jisung up. And even though he did enjoy his precious alone-time, he had absolutely nothing against the nine-tailed fox’s presence. He was quite chatty and sometimes a little brat, but no one could ever be mad at him for more than ten minutes. Jeongin was just too cute to be real.

Jisung was actually able to find a certain amount of information regarding restrictions and oaths, following the conversation he had had about Minho’s past and the things happening in Atror. The warlock had told him back then that he literally, _really_, couldn’t tell him. At first, Jisung had thought that he just couldn’t out of pure pride or because he promised. But reading things about magical oaths proved him wrong – Minho _literally_, honestly, couldn’t. He _mustn’t_ and he _couldn’t_.

Even if he really wanted to tell someone about what had happened on that day or why he landed in the cells of Atror, there was no way he could. Restriction spells and oaths weren’t exactly the same thing but were often used together in order to work perfectly as a whole. Of course, Jisung had no idea which spell was used on Minho and more importantly; why and by whom. To top it all off, he didn’t even know if there was a spell on him to begin with. There were at least ten different reasons as to why someone physically couldn’t open his mouth up regarding certain topics. And what bothered Jisung the most was the fact that in none of the spells he had found and read about, there was a punishment listed.

He remembered that when Minho seemed to be about to reveal something he shouldn’t have; his arms had started to get wounds. Jisung connected the dots and figured that the warlock almost spilled the tea – which made him feel pain in order to stop him from saying something. There were some oaths and swears which were punished with death, but those are mostly related to tasks. Like for example, the unbreakable oath of protecting someone. If that someone would happen to die, you’d die as well; because you broke your promise to protect that person.

Oath spells and unbreakable promises were forbidden for a reason.

But none of them had listed sudden wounds or self-hurting punishments. Which finally made Jisung shut the book about restrictions close and sigh in defeat.  
«You don’t happen to know anything about self-harming oaths, right?«, he asked Jeongin, though didn’t really expect a serious answer.

The nine-tailed fox looked up from his spot on the table, curled up body stretching in exhausting after-sleep and head tilting to the left in confusion, _«I do, actually«_, Jeongin answered and smiled. Which was weird, considering he was a literal fox right now. _«Well, to be exact; there aren’t any self-harming oaths or anything like that. I supposed you’re talking about what would happen if you’d break that oath. Usually, the bond just breaks. Oaths – like spell oaths – are bound to loyalty and trust. Breaking that bond would mean that those persons could never trust each other again to be loyal. You’re talking about divination and prophecies though«_, Jeongin elaborated.

Sometimes, Jisung really forgot that the nine-tailed fox was a little over a hundred years old. He would’ve continued thinking about that if it wouldn’t have been for a memory striking his head…

\-----

_«Because of the divina-…«, the warlock stopped mid-sentence, winced and closed his eyes, almost as if someone had pinched his arm or hit him. Jisung watched him breath through his nose and noticed a sudden red spot on the warlock’s plain white shirt._

\-----

Now it made sense. Minho couldn’t finish the sentence, hence why Jisung searched for the wrong things. He continued listening to Jeongin’s voice ringing in his head, _«Divinations and prophecies are often supposed to be delivered by a god or goddess. They aren’t meant to be heard by other people unless they choose to visit someone in their dreams and tell them about it. Though, those people have to stay silent about whatever they know. If they’re trying to tell anyone in any way – for example by writing or even just showing it – they get punished in form of pain, which is often viewed as self-harm. That’s the difference between an oath spell and a divination – you choose to stay loyal with an oath. But you have no choice in front of a god’s secret.«_

Jisung wasn’t sure what he should think about this information or what he should do with it to begin with. The only thing he knew now was that Minho seemed to have a divination.

Or at least, he _thought_ that’s it. He didn’t actually know for sure.

Luckily, when Jeongin asked him about why he was so interested in that, Jisung was able to discard the topic by simply saying he was just curious and bored. The nine-tailed fox seemed to believe him, though Jeongin sometimes seemed a lot more naïve than he actually was. The host decided to ignore that thought and just consider it a cleared conversation they’d probably never have again.

Later that day, Jisung lost an intense rock-paper-scissors battle and had to cook for the others. Felix volunteered to be his, quote, _‘loyal and competent assistant’_. The fairy boy was just too cute to be a living creature and Jisung swore on his life that one day, he’ll have rotten teeth from how sweet the boy was.

Being busy with almost losing his mind for the past two weeks, Jisung almost forgot about how funny it was to spend time with Felix. He wasn’t only cute, but also nice and extremely considerate. He wasn’t an old fairy, though an adult and sometimes, Jisung actually noticed how much older the fairy was. Though, just like with Jeongin, when Felix called him Hyung and smiled his bright smile, he seemed more like a child than an actual, over a hundred years old mystical creature. When Jisung started preparing ice cream, Felix almost knocked over the tea they prepared in utter joy, hugging the host thankfully for granting him one of his most desired lifegoals (as he said himself). Which made Jisung smile even more.

The dinner itself went smoothly, Minho and Hyunjin though not talking a single word to each other and completely, utterly, ignoring each other’s presence. Which seemed to be easy for both of them; while Minho simply started annoying Jisung and messing with his nerves, Hyunjin had a whole Seungmin to bicker with.

For some really odd reason, Seungmin and Hyunjin had a…weird relationship. They seemed to like each other, talked a lot during the day and sometimes spend hours in Hyunjin’s office without anyone seeing them (that was not supposed to sound seductive in any way). But then again, just like they seemed to share some interests like magic, studying and myths, they also had a lot of differences. Most of the time, instead of talking, they threw words at each other and bickered like an old couple. Yeji and Felix thought that it was extremely funny and Jisung remembered that Seokjin had visited them some time last week, frowning at Hyunjin not caring about the wizard’s visit at all and instead being busy running away from Seungmin with half a smile on his face, mostly fear of dying though.

Which was – once again – totally ridiculous. Hyunjin could easily teleport Seungmin to hell without anyone noticing or him even having to use much magic. Yet, they’re quarrels never escalated like that; in the end, they always smiled secretly, thinking that no one saw the suggestive looks and fond gazes in their eyes. Jisung didn’t know if Seungmin and Hyunjin noticed it themselves or were in denial. But at least regarding his longest best friend, the host was pretty sure that there was something between them. Something magical. Something…_special_.

Just when Felix excitedly started to dig into his desired ice cream (Jisung went with a simple strawberry flavour because he secretly loved strawberries), a cold wind abruptly opened all of the wide windows in Hyunjin’s dinner room, blowing the candles out and howling through the room like a message.

Hyunjin let his spoon fall into his bowl of ice cream, a groan leaving his lips as his voice said in the most annoyed tone ever, «How come that ever since I met Jisung, I have not one single normal day?« The host chose to ignore him. A chill ran down Jisung’s spine. He wasn’t used to the magic in his body yet, Hyunjin sometimes still having to put a restriction on him in order to keep it under control. Just like he wasn’t used to controlling such things, he always felt dizzy when he could feel strong magic invading his system. Unlike usually, when he felt something unknown creeping itself into his body, _this_ felt familiar.

He suddenly felt…angry. Really angry. The difference was that this time, he didn’t need Minho to get him back to reality. He knew _exactly_ what this was – or rather; _who_.

The magic was strong, the will-power prominent and the emotions a spiral of different negative things. It was tempting – just like Jisung expected, Seungmin easily ignored those feelings, knowing how to protect himself with holy prayers and light. And obviously, the others were also skilled in fighting off the negativity of this magic.

Jeongin emitted a soft brownish-golden light, transforming himself into his human-form, probably to fight off any danger and to be ready. Yeji stood up from her chair and grabbed Ryujin’s wrist, standing in front of her with a cool aura of water surrounding her. Hyunjin remained mostly calm, didn’t hesitate to stand in front of Seungmin though and giving him a pointed look when the young priest opened his mouth to say something.

Minho remained standing next to Jisung’s chair, staring at the door to the main hall, the air around him vibrating and openly ready to attack any second.

When the door finally opened, someone stumbled inside. His steps were tired, his head hung low and his pace was slow. But – even with the negativity – Jisung could clearly feel the fear. The anxiety and worry. Just like the last time he and Minho encountered him Wrath was losing his mind out of pure fear. And considering he was the Sin of Wrath; this fear and worry was covered by blinding rage and fury. That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous though.

«Wrath. We were looking for you«, Hyunjin calmly stated at attempted to step forward, immediately changed his plans though once the warlock’s head weirdly moved up, craning his neck unhealthily and black-shot, bloody eyes stared at him in pure warning, «Rumour has it you’re going berserk all over Enos in search for something.«  
**_«Not something«_**, Wrath mumbled, his voice stained with anger and roaring deeply, **_«Someone.«_**

«You’re still looking for Reticence?«, Minho asked calmly and Jisung forced himself to stay calm when the Sin of Wrath turned his head towards their direction, staring at them with such an intense gaze that it made Jisung have goose bumps. Wrath tilted his head weirdly, his face remaining an intense unemotional look and eyes not blinking one second, his voice – though still deep – clearly showing how confused he must be, **_«We met.«_**

Jisung didn’t know why, but he nodded and answered before he could stop himself, «You saved us from the hellhounds near Zotuna’s altar.«  
It was extremely dangerous and dumb of him to bluntly talk to a Sin like this without considering the emotions or reactions that could be caused from it. Jisung knew that Hyunjin had shot him a warning glare without having to actually see it. But instead of being angrier, Wrath tilted his head even more (it was humanly impossible to bend your neck like this but considering that his inner demon was currently taking over half of the warlock’s body, more than a quiet crack couldn’t be heard). Jisung swallowed, «Are you friends with Reticence?« He knew he should stop talking for the better good of all of them. But Wrath waited patiently, an almost calm look in his black eyes as he waited for Jisung to elaborate his guess, «I-…I heard you saying, _‘I’ll get you back, friend’_.«

Wrath’s whole body seemed to relax upon hearing that. Jisung could feel the anger make room for worry and concern, for fear and…affection? His voice was softer, way softer when he finally answered, _«It’s my fault. I should’ve been faster. I should’ve known.«_

Although hesitant – and really, Jisung almost wanted to shout at Seungmin for it – the young priest escaped Hyunjin’s human-body shield and walked towards the Sin of Wrath.

His steps were certain in a weirdly calm and reassuring way, Wrath immediately looking at him with a warning glare, but relaxing more and more, the closer Seungmin got. Jisung didn’t know much about priests, but he was almost sure that they usually didn’t softly glow, their eyes weren’t shining a white light and the air around them wasn’t dripping with…power? Was power the right word? It seemed wrong. He stepped in front of Wrath, who fell to his knees as if he was afraid of Seungmin, looking up at him. His red hair slowly turned orangish, the black veins turning normal and his skin getting pale, though less grey and more human. His eyes remained black with bloody red irises though, even when Seungmin crouched down in front of him and laid a hand on his head softly, patting it in an almost comforting way.

Seungmin’s voice was shockingly clear, almost pure, a ringing, seemingly holy and an innocent sound in everyone’s ears as he said, _«Although unfair; you can’t be faster than destiny.«_  
Wrath’s eyes finally returned to their normal, human state, the black disappearing and the red making space for dark-brown irises. A single tear slid down his cheek, lips slightly parted when a sob escaped his lips.

And within the next second, both, Seungmin and Wrath, collapsed on the floor.

\-----

Hyunjin sighed deeply, staring at Seokjin’s back in the most intense, offending, annoyed and stressed way someone could actually stare. He was visibly mad and upon hearing it at least five times within the last thirty minutes, everyone knew why; _«Why does everyone have to gather at _my_ house?!«_  
Those were his exact words.

Not like Seokjin had cared. Or did now.

Once Seungmin had collapsed next to Wrath, Minho had snapped, scribbled something onto the small paper that had appeared in his hand and sent it away with another snap. Only ten seconds later, Seokjin fell out of a teleportation portal, for some reason easily trespassing Hyunjin’s protection runes in space. Which, by the way, added onto his annoyance. Even before anyone had to explain anything, Seokjin had blinked confused, his eyes first looking at Seungmin, then at Wrath and asking a totally dumbfounded, _«Is that the Sin of Wrath in front of me or am I dreaming?«_  
And then, while softly and carefully tugging Seungmin into one of the soft beds in the medical wing – while Ryujin ran back and forth, looking for herbs and mixtures – Jin mumbled an annoyed, _«Why is it that every time I’m entering this damn house, someone is either almost dying, dead tired or unconscious?«_

Of course, Hyunjin didn’t miss the chance to throw a bitter, _«You’re free to leave my mansion whenever you please«_ at the Wizard of Healing.

Jisung was worried about Seungmin – of course he was! – but above all, he was confused. And for some reason, the wheels in his brain were turning and turning non-stop.  
First of all, there was – who would’ve thought – Minho. Ever since he woke up today, the warlock was constantly following him around (except for the afternoon, when he had a discussion with Hyunjin and Jisung went to do some research in the library of course). And it wasn’t like no one noticed; it was quite obvious how persistent he tagged along, always making sure to be at least two metres in his range. When Jisung asked him to stop the overprotective act (because honestly, he thought that Minho was only trying to mess with him, and it _did_ annoy him!), the warlock simply shook his head and continued being annoying without saying a single word.

Maybe he was just really worried about Jisung. Which was weird to him because, once again, they didn’t really know each other. But the host already concluded that their relationship was very…_weird_.

And besides, right now, he had other problems to deal with.   
Because, secondly, Seungmin’s weird glow-up, his tempting, almost godly voice, the totally out-of-character behaviour and most importantly to Jisung; _what he had said_.

Because if he remembered right – and if there was one thing Jisung trusted in, it was his memory! – Kritix had told him the exact same thing in his dream last night.

\-----

** _«You can’t be faster than destiny.«_ **

\-----

Yes. Certainly the same words. Jisung’s wheels in his head were looking for something; searching his personal library for the information he knew he had. He knew he had read about this. He knew he had seen a picture of this. He just _knew_. His wheels rolled faster, the picture materializing itself in front of Jisung’s inner eye and suddenly, he remembered, snapping loudly and accidentally hitting Minho with his hand when he raised it out of reflex (it’s his own fault for standing so near though!).  
«I know it!«, he said and knew that his cheeks turned rosy-coloured when everyone turned to look at him in confusion. He swallowed and cleared his voice, «…A few years ago, I got a book from a travelling salesman on the market in Orlon. He gave it to me for free, saying he didn’t need it. It was a book about legends and myths – although I didn’t actually believe in such things, it seemed interesting and so I started reading it.«

«Cool«, Jin said and turned around, his arms crossed in front of his wide-build upper body, «And why should we care?«  
_Sometimes, he’s really an annoying hoe…_, Jisung thought but decided to keep it to himself and explain instead, «There was a chapter about the god’s servants. I can’t remember what exactly was written there, but I remember looking at a drawn picture of a man with shining white eyes, a glowing body and a holy light surrounding him. Seungmin looked quite literally like this.«

Jin squinted his eyes in a suspicious manner, then moved his hand to touch his non-existent beard and thought out loud, «…There are…legends of the god’s servants. No one really knows why they exist or what a servant actually is. Some people assume they’re angels. Other say they’re gifted priests, humans who were granted the honour of being a god’s eye in the human world. But no one who’s still alive has ever seen one. Or if they did, I don’t think they knew.«  
«Well, _we_ obviously did«, Felix said and pointed towards Seungmin’s sleeping body, «I don’t know about you guys but…when he spoke. I swear it went straight through my bones. It was like…like listening to a whole lament. I was two seconds away from falling onto my knees as well and bowing my head to him. His aura was…I don’t know how to describe it…«  
Jisung bit his lip but then finished Felix’s sentence, «…_Celestial_. It felt celestial.«

Silence crept itself into the room, only being broken by Yeji’s thoughtful voice, «It makes sense, though. Think about it…«, she stepped closer to Seungmin and pointed at him with a frown on her delicate face, «Jin-ssi said that whatever hit him was from a god and it _directly_ hit Seungmin. He was restricted to a comatose sleep and could only be awaken by a holy recipe, mixed with the purest of tears someone could have. What if…what if he’s…changing?«  
«I guess we’ll have to research«, Hyunjin said and turned to look at Seokjin, «Although _I _certainly do not have the books needed for this.«  
There was some sort of silent conversation between Seokjin and Hyunjin, both of them staring into each other’s eyes for a couple of minutes. Until the wizard groaned and threw his hands up in a defeated way, «Okay,_ fine_! I got it; I’ll go to him! But I won’t go alone, his library is huge!«

Jisung visibly perched up upon hearing _library_ and raised his hand before he could stop himself, the inner bookworm speaking as he said, «I’ll join you! Please! You’ll be faster with me anyways! My memory is enhanced and I’m really good at research!«  
Seokjin looked at him as if he was crazy, then at Minho with a sceptical gaze and sighed, his shoulders slumping, «I guess if Jisung-ie joins me, _you’ll_ follow as well?«

Minho didn’t say anything, didn’t even nod. But it seemed like his lack of denying it was enough of an answer for Seokjin. The Wizard of Healing turned around, only to be met with Felix’s twinkling eyes and a cutely smiling Jeongin. It seemed like they wanted to come with them as well.  
Though, even before any of them could say something, Hyunjin grabbed the back-collars of the fairy boy and the nine-tailed fox and shook his head in disapproval, «Nuh-uh. I need you here with me to care for Wrath and Seungmin. And since Jeongin isn’t allowed to go, _you_ also have to stay here, Lix.«  
Felix whined and Jeongin pouted, the two of them complaining and Hyunjin dismissing their words with a simple, but strict, _«I’m not discussing this with you«_.

Seriously, Jisung almost laughed at the situation.

«Where are we going anyways?«, Minho finally opened his mouth, looking at Jin curiously. The Wizard sighed and closed his eyes, «To a friend of…a _friend_«, the way he forced the second friend out almost made Jisung think that they weren’t _friends_ – but not enemies either, «To the person with the biggest existing library in Ifith; _The Commandment of Truth and Wizard of Fire_.«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is he here, why is he here?  
What is the connection between Wrath and Reticence? Who is Wrath anyways?  
What about Seungmin?   
And who do you think is the Commandment of Truth?  
I'm really curious of your theories and thoughts :3


	12. truth potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally love this chapter!   
Because two new characters are going to be introduced uwu!
> 
> Have fun reading!

**Truth potion;  
If there is one thing that would make anyone spill the tea, it’s the truth potion. Well, with a few exceptions, of course. For example, the potion does not work on people with restriction spells or oaths bounding them, it’s too easy and weak to break that kind of concentrated magic. And you would’ve thought; that would be really great. We can’t let that happen, right? :D People think that this potion only makes a person tell them what they want to hear, but…actually, it doesn’t. This potion isn’t supposed to help you get the truth out of a serial killer. No, it just makes the person who drinks it have a strong desire to finally let go of the secrets that are eating him inside. So rather than you, asking him about things you’re interested in, he’ll probably just blabber every little embarrassing secret out that comes to his mind.  
So…be mindful of that potion. If you want to know more complex secrets and thoughts, you’ll have to mix the _‘Essence of Truth’_, the recipe is somewhere further into this book. **

Jisung didn’t know what he had expected from a Great Wizard’s house. To be quite honest, he guessed it would be similar to Hyunjin’s mansion. But then again, he forgot that first of all; they visited the fourth most powerful Wizard in all of Ifith, and secondly; he was a wizard, not a warlock. Hyunjin’s mansion was rather old fashioned and dark, a gothic kind of architecture with almost religious art adorning it’s walls and a beautiful but sometimes cranky wooden floor spreading across all of it. There were carpets everywhere, candles and dark interior. Even without knowing Hyunjin, Jisung probably would’ve guessed that this house belonged to an old warlock family. He had never seen the outside of it, nor the beautiful garden in the back of it but Jisung promised himself to go outside the house more often.

The Commandment of Truth and Wizard of Fire was – as Jin had described him – a humble and cute young man. Though, his house certainly did not seem humble at all; if you could still call this a regular house. Jisung used to live in a _house_. Hyunjin’s mansion – with its four floors and the basement – _just so_ passed as a house. But this was a damn mansion. For real, a mansion. It wasn’t exactly tall – just extremely wide. From the outside, it looked old and probably had been renovated with magic at least two times. The walls were made out of beautiful, dark stone which seemed to shine in a reddish-orange colour when the early sun hit its façade. It was shaped and build in a U-kind of manner, circling the courtyard which was adorned with a beautiful fountain and some plants and trees. There were statues leading the way to the big, dark-brown entrance door, Seokjin hesitating in his steps.

Ever since they teleported themselves to the nearest town – somewhere in Ospal, a small country on the south coast of Ifith – the wizard had been extremely…weird. He didn’t talk as much as he usually did, nodded absentmindedly to literally everything (even if he would usually disagree or be offended or couldn’t just nod to answer correctly) and stared at the ground in deep thoughts.

Minho and Jisung had exchanged weird looks but refrained from asking him about it. Unlike Minho, who probably just decided to stay out of Seokjin’s business because he either didn’t care or didn’t know him well enough, Jisung remembered things. He tried to forget the things he had seen while mixing the awakening potion. Because Seokjin’s tear had been honest and real – he remembered the heart-breaking sob he had let loose, how his breath had been erratic and his eyes were still shining with unshed tears long after he had finished the potion. Whatever it was that Jin was uncomfortable with; Jisung almost assumed that it had something to do with whoever made him so heartbroken.

Maybe he had some sort of…past with the Commandment of Truth?

You may ask yourself now why they had to walk all the way down to the beach, away from the town and far off of any civilisation when they could literally travel through space.

Well, Jin had said that the Wizard of Fire lived far off and protected his house really strongly. It was, apparently, no problem to trespass Jeongin’s protection runes around Hyunjin’s mansion (in and out of space), though only because Jeongin knew Jin and allowed his magic to enter.  
The Wizard of Fire though was very serious about protection and, of course, valued his privacy. Above all, and Jisung had guessed so much, he obtained one of the most important relicts. Just like every other relict, it was a key to heaven and was used to unlock a part of it. But some relicts had another purpose, could be used differently. The Commandment of Truth held the mirror of souls in his mansion. It was the relict and besides opening a damn door, it could also show you whatever you wanted; your deepest desire, your greatest fear, your most important person, your future, your past life – you could ask it everything. But just once. And you had to live with the consequences of it.

There were things better off not knowing. And dealing with it was way more difficult than hearing it for the first time.

It only made sense for a Wizard to protect his home as strong as this when he had such a powerful relict in his house.

The walk – or rather hike, Jisung’s feet hurt even though he wouldn’t call himself a person with no endurance – had been rather odd. They barely talked, apart from Minho’s occasional, usual annoying pokes or subtle touches (it was supposed to tickle Jisung but after some time, he just started to purposefully ignore it because even though it was annoying, it didn’t feel _particularly_ _bad_). Even without knowing that there was something bothering Seokjin, they obviously felt that he wasn’t exactly feeling…_great_ about this journey.

Jin stared at the big knocker, shaped like a phoenix. It was beautiful, almost majestic. Once Seokjin touched the golden knocker, the phoenix’s eyes started glowing in blue and it moved, spreading its wings and shaking its head.  
Jisung moved behind Minho when the phoenix broke free from the golden material, flying past him and almost hitting him, getting bigger and brighter, illuminating the shadowed entrance with its burning hot fire and wonderful dress of feathers. It finally settled down on the railings opposite of the door, looking at all of them with a tilted head and curious blinking, blue eyes.

«I’m sorry to disturb you. Is your master busy?«, Seokjin said and bowed his head respectfully, Minho nudging Jisung to do the same while mimicking Jin. The host never in his entire life would’ve thought (or dreamed of) that he would meet a real phoenix one day. Phoenixes were extremely rare and shy, only trusting their master. Their opinion about other people depended on what their master thought about them. Other than that, they were pretty harmless and peaceful though – as long as you treated them just as honest and respectful.   
Phoenixes were protectors and they did not hesitate to die for their master. Similar to the bond Jeongin had with Hyunjin, they died when their master died. Though, they could be reborn out of their ashes, just like Jeongin could just be re-awakened by an ancestor of Hyunjin (because he vowed to serve his family forever, as Minho had explained).

Jisung didn’t know if the Phoenix talked to Jin in his mind or the wizard just so happened to understand magical creatures, but they seemed to communicate in some way.  
They silently watched Jin and the Phoenix talking (?), until the bird suddenly shook its body and pointed towards a carriage with a black horse. A weird frown set itself onto Jin’s face and Jisung dared to say he saw the sadness for a few seconds – it lingered in his eyes, drowned them in regret, in memories and pain; Jisung almost thought that he would start to cry.

But then, like it was never there, Seokjin shook his head and nodded, the Phoenix spreading its wings and flying towards the door, straight through it like some sort of ghost.

There was a burned patch on the wood of the door, which disappeared more and more until it wasn’t there anymore. Minho leaned down to Jisung’s ear and whispered, «This mansion is enchanted with a very powerful protection shield. There are shields around the property and even one directly above the walls of it – if someone would attack it, there would be hardly anything that could actually destroy it.«  
Jin – although Minho had whispered – chimed into the conversation: «On top of that, it’s also enchanted with a recovery spell. You could survive a war in this mansion. And we can go inside, the phoenix went to tell his master about our arrival.«

The wizard’s voice was dull – almost like he never knew how to express emotions. Jin’s usually bubbly and kind of relaxed demeanour was gone; he seemed like a totally different person.   
Jisung dared to glance towards the carriage again and just so happened to see a beautiful flag, showing a yellow rose on it. His memory stirred and he recalled seeing exactly this flag in the memory of Seokjin’s tear.

Whoever this carriage belonged to; it was the person that seemingly broke Kim Seokjin’s heart.

The inside of the mansion was even more fascinating than the outside already was; dark marble floor painted the way around the house, combined with dark red walls and various paintings. It was majestic, really, not only aesthetic like Hyunjin’s dear home. Even though it seemed way too luxurious to Jisung’s liking, it spread some sort of…warmth. A real warmth, like home. The smell of freshly baked cookies was literally everywhere and Jisung almost expected a bubbly woman running around the corner with a smile decorating her face, offering cake and tea.

Though there was no woman greeting them, something similar ran around the corner and jumped towards Seokjin as soon as it targeted him; a small, black ball of fluff, which happened to be a dog, as Jisung realized later. It tried to jump up to Jin, making noise and its tail wiggling back and forth in excitement.  
«Oh my god, Toben!«, Jin said and crouched down to the dog, patting its head and smiling widely upon being greeted like this, «Where’s you master? Is he still too incompetent to greet his guests?«  
While Toben answered with the cutes _‘woof’_ ever (almost like he agreed on that one), a really deep, offended but extremely warm voice interrupted them, «Excuse me, I’m a good host and definitely _not_ incompetent!«

They all looked up to see a tall man – even taller than Seokjin! – with a broad and trained body, wearing dark pants and a white shirt. Even though his voice sounded deep and almost frightening, his face resembled the one of a cute baby, quite literally; he had chubby cheeks, big, round chocolate-brown doe-eyes, a cute nose and plump lips. His hair was messily styled, almost looking like he just woke up (it was nearing noon), the strikingly red strands pointing towards literally every direction.   
Still, it looked extremely good on him.

His full lips spread into a goofy smile, as soon as Seokjin stood up and spread his arms invitingly, the man taking a long steps (how could you manage to get legs this long?!) and hugging the Wizard of Healing warmly.  
They remained like this for a few seconds, silently relishing in the feeling of each other’s embrace, until they parted and Jin pointed at the man with a calm smile, «This is the Commandment of Truth; Fourth in rank and Wizard of Fire; Park Chanyeol.«

Chanyeol smiled brightly, his teeth as white as marble (if his marble would be white, it would have exactly this colour) and his head bowing in respect, «It’s really nice to meet you two. Welcome to my home.«  
And _home_, it was indeed. Jisung felt welcome. He felt _warm_. Maybe it was his affinity to fire but everything about the mansion and Chanyeol himself (so far) was welcoming, open, like a pair of strong arms hugging and comforting you.

Minho cleared his voice and nodded his head in respect as well, introducing himself with a really friendly smile. Almost _too_ friendly. It was weird to Jisung. Both, Chanyeol and Minho, stared into each other’s eyes for at least thirty seconds without saying anything, until the Wizard blinked and frowned totally confused. He opened his mouth to say something, was interrupted by Jin’s (rather hard) slap on the back though. It probably should’ve been a brotherly pat, but the impact made Chanyeol stumbled forwards slightly and instead of saying whatever he wanted to say, cursing out loud.  
He slapped a hand over his mouth in utter shock and cleared his voice with adorably red cheeks.  
«I-I’m sorry for cursing. It slipped«, he said and then turned to look at Jin, «Why are you punching me?«  
Really, Chanyeol was the most adorable young man Jisung had ever seen. He started to understand why people were so upset with his own chubby cheeks and cute pout.

Jin laughed nervously and answered with a tight smile, «Oh…uhm, you know. Just…a bro-punch. Like bro’s do, you know?«  
«_Bro’s_? Where does _that_ come from? And why is Mi-…_ouch_!«, he was interrupted by Jin, _brotherly_ slapping his back again. Jin stared at him intensely and then smiled (it was creepy, really), patting his back (still, rather hardly) _again_, «We have important things to discuss, let’s have some tea and do that, shall we?«

Chanyeol stumbled in front of Jin, being pushed towards…well, what Jisung assumed would be something similar to Hyunjin’s salon.

He didn’t comment their weird behaviour just now, instead just smiling at Minho and the paintings he admired every now and then, following Jin and Chanyeol through the beautiful estate.

Though, just because he didn’t say anything, didn’t mean he wasn’t suspicious or curious…

\-----

Just like probably every other corner of this mansion, Chanyeol’s salon was aesthetically beautiful. There was a grand piano in the corner, directly next to a big panorama window which showed the courtyard with the big fountain in the middle.

To Jisung’s surprise, Chanyeol had an older sister, which he found out due to a beautiful portrait of her. Park Yoora was just as beautiful as Chanyeol was handsome, sharing his cute but really dual face with her younger brother. Unlike her younger brother, as he found out, she was organised and calculating. Chanyeol wasn’t exactly clumsy, but…weirdly _unlucky_. He tripped over his own feet, stumbled through his own mansion and managed to hurt himself more often than not. Unfortunately, the description of Yoora was only from Seokjin’s memory because the sister wasn’t here right now.

There was a record player, playing beautiful piano music and – as Jisung noticed – there were a lot of sheets scattered across the room.

Just when Chanyeol entered back inside the salon with a tray full of tea and some snacks, he noticed the host’s interested glance at the papers on the floor, Minho pulling one out from behind him with a puzzled expression on his face. Chanyeol smiled sheepishly, «I’m really sorry for the mess. I didn’t expect any guests today.«  
«Are you composing?«, Jisung asked and watched the wizard’s face turn rosy in embarrassment. He placed the tray on the small table between them, a cup in front of everyone.

«I’m _trying_ to compose. There are some good pieces but…uhm, I think they’re all bad in some way, haha…«, Chanyeol said and sat down on an armchair in front of Jin.  
Jisung smiled encouragingly, «I used to play piano a lot in our town. I’d love to hear something you composed.«

The wizard smiled shyly (honestly, for an almost thirty years old man, he was really adorable), «I’m too shaky today to perform but feel free to play one of the pieces on the grand piano whenever you like.«

Their conversation about music died down with Jisung nodding and telling Minho about the virtuoso that used to live in Orlon and had taught him how to play the piano once a week for free. After that, they quietly sipped their tea for a few minutes until Jin finally started talking about why they were here and what they needed.  
«Do you have any idea…you know, about any legends regarding this? Or do you maybe even know the book Jisung read back then?«, Seokjin asked and looked at Chanyeol calmly.

With a deeply thinking expression on his face, Chanyeol slowly shook his head, «I don’t really know about this kind of things. Well, apart from rumours and myths of course. The book _could_ be here…I guess you’ll find _something_ in my library. It could take you some time though…you do know that, right?«  
Minho nodded, «Your library is the biggest all over Ifith. But don’t worry, we have a book-squirrel here. If someone will be able to find something, it’ll be him.«

Chanyeol looked at Jisung for a few seconds, literally right into his eyes, when they suddenly started glowing in a ruby red colour, his voice suddenly filled with warmth and dripping off something…heavenly, similar to Seungmin but not quite as shocking, «You’re blessed with a photographic memory. I can see it in your truth.«  
Jisung stared at him in confusion, watching the wizard shake his head with an annoyed grunt and holding his temple in pain, «I’m sorry. Your magic is really distracting – I’ve never met a magic potion mixer as strong as you. It happens that magic as inexperienced and strong as yours is messing with my gift of truth.«

The wizard stood up and asked them to follow him, probably leading them towards the library. While walking, Seokjin explained, «Chanyeol can see your whole truth – everything that is true as for now, though, nothing from the future. Your truth can change, it develops, just like your body and mind does. I guess it’s quite useful to know that your perfect memory isn’t just a cool thing you learned, but actually something you were born with.«

_Explains why I’m still remembering every single thing I saw in the memory of your tear_, Jisung thought but didn’t voice it out loud.  
After another few minutes and some really beautiful hallways, they finally stopped in front of a big, wooden door. Chanyeol turned around in front of it, a hand pointing to the golden decorated door with three marble steps leading up to it, «This is the entry to the library. We’re currently in the west wing of my home, which is mainly the library to be exact. Don’t get lost and…please try to refrain from opening books from the lively section, it’s a pain to try and get them back inside the shelf. Other than that…I guess, have fun?«

He hesitated for a few seconds, looking at Seokjin with a frown and shaking his head subtly, to which Jin released the breath he was holding. It was a weird exchange but Jisung – once again – didn’t comment on it.

Jisung thought _Hyunjin’s_ library was beautiful and big, honestly, he almost lived in there. That’s how much he loved the wooden room and the smells of old books in there.

He was wrong all along.

If he could buy any library – and it didn’t matter what other library he would ever enter in his entire future – it would be _this_ library. It was the biggest, almost most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life: _room_ wasn’t even a word to describe this library, this was a whole hall full of books, decorated with ivory coloured walls and columns; the floor was reddish-orange marble, shining and reflecting the light flooding through the high ceiling; the ceiling was made out of various crystal glass cupolas; the parts which were actual cemented ceilings were drawn and decorated with beautifully drawn flowers; there were two floors, various stairs leading up to the second floor, all of it loaded with bookshelves; a spacious pathway equipped with probably the longest table Jisung had ever seen; and right in front of them, on a wooden, beautifully carved small and round table, there was a golden, really big compass calmly circling around like it was alive.

Jisung couldn’t help but stare, feeling like he’d miss something every time he blinked; his eyes almost hurting from how persistent he tried to force them open for as long as possible.   
A chuckle was heard, and he shook his head, slightly embarrassed that the others saw his short moment of total bliss. Minho stepped closer, nudging his arm with his elbow softly, «It’s really fascinating, isn’t it?«  
Though the host tried to answer, nothing left his mouth and instead, he stared at Minho. For some reason, the warlock fitted perfectly into the library, the sorcerer’s soft eyes almost sparkling with joy and amazement, his beautiful face an art itself in the bright daylight that shone straight through the cupola ceiling above them. Instead of saying anything – he noticed he couldn’t bring himself to actually say something anyways – Jisung just nodded and forced himself to look away from Minho.

He bit his lip and tried to avoid the thoughts in his head (something similar to; _‘Minho certainly isn’t beautiful’ _and _‘It’s normal to adore a friend like this, right?’_), clearing his voice and rasping a totally dumbfounded, «W-What’s this?«  
He pointed at the weird compass in front of them, Chanyeol smiling amused after listening to Jisung clearing his voice again and again, «You’re a little bit of a book-maniac, aren’t you?«  
«I-…«, Jisung felt his cheeks heat up and pouted, «_I’m not_ a maniac! I just enjoy research and reading!«  
Chanyeol’s laugh was even more endearing than his genuine smile, especially because it didn’t feel like he was laughing _at_ Jisung, but _with_ him. He nodded, still smiling, looking at the golden compass instead, «This is a magical tool, extremely rare and unknown but really helpful. It’s called _‘The Searcher’_. If you want to look for anything, this compass will locate the position of it and a path will show you where the book is you’re looking for. Somewhat like a locating spell but it doesn’t work with humans or living things. This Searcher only works in this library. You can even ask it for sections if you don’t know the precise name of the book or what exactly it should be about.«

They all nodded, Seokjin looking at Chanyeol with a worried expression, «By the way, you said Yoora isn’t here. When will she be back? I was actually anticipating seeing her again, it had been a while…«  
Maybe Jisung imagined it, but somehow, Chanyeol’s until now relaxed posture immediately stiffened and he swallowed hardly, his eyes darting back and forth between all of them. He bit his lip and avoided looking directly at Seokjin as he started turning around with the tightest smile Jisung had seen on his face so far. «Well, w-who knows? I don’t really know what she went to do, you know her…she never really tells me about her to-do list. I guess she’ll be back this evening or…tomorrow, I’m not really sure…«

He quickly walked towards the door, his body already halfway through it when he disappeared with a really hectic, «If you need anything, tell Toben and he’ll get me.«

The dog barked but remained seated next to Seokjin (Jisung didn’t even notice the dog had walked with them this entire time), his head tilted to the right in total confusion when the heavy door slammed shut behind the wizard.  
Jin nodded and leaned down to pat the dog’s head, who whimpered confused. A frown set itself on the Commandment’s handsome face as he said, «Yes, you’re right Toben. That was really weird.«

It wasn’t only weird.

Jisung knew _one_ thing for sure, Chanyeol was bad at lying and hiding things. Something was obviously going on.   
«Well, he can’t lie. It’s against his nature«, Minho said but frowned as well, «But he definitely wasn’t entirely telling the truth either.«

They started walking more into the library, Seokjin nodding absentmindedly and Jisung also frowning, mimicking the worried glint in his eyes. «Even if you can’t lie; there are other ways to avoid the truth«, he said and earned meaningful side-glances from the other two, though, no one commented on that one.

\-----

What had been excitement a little bit over five hours ago had turned into frustration pretty fast. Apart from the fact that Jisung absolutely adored the interior and architecture of this library, he started to despite the overall image of it. They had begun by asking the Searcher about the Legends and Myths Section, to which they first of all had to split up because apparently, there were a few bookshelves about this topic. Walking to it had already took Jisung about three minutes (he had luck though, while him and Minho had been pretty near to each other, they had heard Seokjin cursing all over the whole library because his path led him to a totally deserted corner).

And then, as soon as they began by piling a few interesting sounding books on the table in the hallway, they started to realize the actual problem in this mission.

It’s already hard enough to find information when you don’t know in which books to search in. But even worse when you didn’t even know _what_ _exactly_ you were looking for. After about two hours, Seokjin wanted to throw a rather old looking book against the wall behind him, only barely stopped by Minho who offered a pillow of the armchair not far from them instead. Let’s just say, they owed Chanyeol some pillows now…

<strike>(Seokjin was extremely scary when he was angry.)</strike>

And now, well.

Now, Jisung tiredly flipped through the pages of the nth book, not seeing anything that could possibly help them or even just give them a hint. A loud thud made him jump in his chair, looking at the source of the noise with wide eyes. Seokjin had let his head fall onto the table without caring about the impact. Jisung almost heard the crows howling in the background, that’s how quietly him and Minho waited for some sort of loud, pained or offended scream.

Instead – and to their surprise (they winced anyway) – Jin just released a deep sigh and sat back up, running a hand through his pink hair. He huffed and closed his eyes without saying anything.

Minho and the host shared concerned looks, the warlock turning to look at Jin with vary eyes, opening his mouth to say something – but just then, Jin finally grabbed a pillow from the pile they made for him, throwing it with a stressful and loud curse past Jisung’s head with literal air tousling his hair around, the unpleasing sound of the fabric ripping because of the impact echoing in his ears. Physically, this shouldn’t be possible. It was though when you were a Great Wizard, as it seemed.   
«I _hate_ this! I swear, Ranera hear me, I’ll freak out if I’ll have to look at another legend about the violet frog-prince again!«, Jin exclaimed, grabbing his usually perfectly styled hair and slamming his head against the wooden plate _again_.

This time though, Minho had grabbed a pillow that wasn’t ripped to shreds yet and slid it under his forehead. The thud could still be heard but the pain probably had been lessened, nonetheless.  
«Although you’re certainly over-reacting«, Minho stated and ignored the glare Jin send him for that sentence, grabbing one of the cookies Toben had (for some reason perfectly fine) brought them on a tray (it had been a cute sight, really), «I understand why you’re frustrated. We’re getting nowhere and we’re doing this for about six hours.«

Jisung stretched his arms over his head, releasing a sigh while feeling some of his bones cracking satisfyingly and nodding in agreement, «I think we’re looking in the wrong section. I hate to say this, but we pretty much went through most books that have something to do with myths or legends.«  
«_You don’t say!_«, Jin passive-aggressively pointed towards the piles of books, then looking over at the one bookshelf you could see from here that had been totally emptied by them. Jisung chose to ignore the snarl and pouted in deep thoughts, «…We’re missing something. Let’s elaborate; what exactly are we looking for?«

«A bridge to jump down of«, Jin sighed and glared at Minho when he threw a pen at him without even looking, «Suicide is on the list of unforgivable things, especially for you. Take this more seriously.«  
They started bickering for a few minutes, Minho finally shutting the wizard down with a really pointed look. Jisung – who had ignored them and instead thought about their problem and a solution for it – leaned his head onto his left hand and thought out loud: «Legends are mostly born out of rumours and stupid fears or hopes people have. Like for example the legend of the violet frog-prince. There are thousand of different stupid stories about it, but no one really knows which one is true…or if there is anything true about it to begin with.«

Minho nodded slowly, «What’s your point?«  
«The point is…«, a frown settled itself onto Jisung’s face, «Are we looking for a made-up and idolized rumour or something that actually happened once or twice?«  
Another loud thud made him and Minho wince and turn their heads towards Jin, the latter already about to curse Seokjin for still messing around. But his words died in his throat when he saw Jin standing, the thud coming from his hands that had been used to push himself up. His face looked like the definition of _‘I-Got-It’_, on Seokjin’s face a weird mixture of excitement and relief.  
«Jisung-ie, you’re a genius! Well, actually _I’m_ the genius for finishing your thought but let’s not discuss this«, Jin said and the host just rolled his eyes, listening to the wizard when he continued, «You’re right, we were looking for the wrong thing from the beginning on. It’s not like we have never seen it happening, it literally happened in front of our eyes. Well…in front of your eyes but again, that’s not the problem here-…«

Minho huffed, «Get to the freaking point, Seokjin!«  
«_Okay_!«, Jin pouted totally offended and threw his imaginary, long hair over his shoulder (or rather the dust on his clothes), «…we should look for prophecies and ancient documents rather than legends. Because when a god did this to Seungmin – which is very likely – there must be some sort of holy writing about it.«

That…actually made sense. Jisung felt extremely dumb for not thinking about this earlier. They were all so busy with thinking that whatever happened to Seungmin was weird, they didn’t realize that they weren’t exactly looking for legends or mythical tales of long forgotten monsters or curses.

And so, they asked the Searcher about holy writings and prophecies linked to gods and goddesses (of course, only after putting away the books they had taken out of the shelf like respectful guests should).

They were lucky to see that this section seemed to have one path only at first, all of them walking over to the distinct shelf even more far off than the one Seokjin had to walk to earlier this afternoon. As soon as they reached the section though, they witnessed their next problem; there were only three holy writings and none of them were even remotely related to any weird changes, transformations, beams coming from the sky or comatose conditions.  
Jisung sighed, «Of course…ancient writings and prophecies are held in ancient temples or dungeons of long forgotten altars…«

All of them groaned synchronized.

It seemed like every time they managed to get rid of one problem, something else stood in their way and the actual goal was never even in reach.  
«I guess we’ll have to find out which god did this to Seungmin or else we’ll have to look in all temples scattered all over Ifith…«, Minho said and another sigh left their lips in a synchronized harmony.   
«I really hate being involved with you«, Seokjin said and earned a pinch from both, Jisung and Minho, on either side of his body.

He whined but remained from saying anything else.

\-----

«_I _certainly won’t tell Chanyeol that _you_ ripped half of the pillows in his library«, Minho argued and ignored Jin’s immediate, desperate whining. They were on their way back to the salon, where they assumed Chanyeol to be in, though only followed Toben and his skilled nose through the mansion to be quite honest.

The black, cute dog led them towards a door they hadn’t been to yet, stopping in front of it with an adorable bark. Minho snapped his fingers and immediately had a bone in his hand, giving it to Toben who excitedly started to wiggle with his tail and jump around, performing cute tricks and jumps as if he wanted to earn that bone (even though he obviously already did). The warlock chuckled and gave it to him without hesitating, watching Toben catch the bone but remaining seated in front of the door as if he wanted to wait for them and his master.

It had gotten pretty dark outside, Jisung realizing that autumn was finally here, its wind howling outside and the cold season forcing the sun to set earlier and earlier with every passing day. It was weird, honestly; it wasn’t exactly dark, but certainly not light either. Jisung assumed that this probably was the infamous time of twilight people talked about in lyrics, in songs and novels – a rare time in which sun and moon seemed to be on equal terms, both spreading night and day at the same moment.

Truly, even through the cupola over the stairwell behind them, a beautiful and magical sight.

Seokjin softly knocked on the door, waiting for the deep voice to allow their entrance. Once they heard it, Jin opened the door and they stepped inside, informing Chanyeol about what they <strike>(didn’t) </strike>found out. This room seemed to be Chanyeol’s study, as Jisung recognized. It looked quite similar to Hyunjin’s office, only more luxurious with the same marble and golden interior Hyunjin didn’t have.

Jisung was fascinated by the huge globe randomly decorating (or actually having a purpose?) the study, the item made out of pure glass and reflecting the incoming light of the setting sun flooding the room through the big window behind Chanyeol’s desk. He almost didn’t hear the quiet sob, his focus finally turning towards the Wizard of Fire. He wasn’t looking at them, his gaze lingering on something beyond the horizon outside of his mansion and past the panorama window. Jin immediately stopped talking once they had heard the sob.

Instead, he stepped forward and softly turned Chanyeol’s rotating armchair towards them, away from the window, «Yeol. You’re keeping something from us, what’s the matter?«  
Jin’s voice was soft and caring, almost like pure velvet comforting the skin. The way he had said Chanyeol’s nickname and how his brown eyes softly illuminated the sun’s light in a rosy colour calmed Jisung and the wizard visibly down.   
«…«, Chanyeol didn’t look up, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even sob anymore. For a moment, Jisung was scared he stopped breathing.

Suddenly, a hot blast of air went past him and Minho, tousling around clothes, hair and some papers and the Phoenix from outside the entrance materialized itself next to Chanyeol, calmly sitting down on a steel branch probably made and positioned for the beautiful bird to sit on. It shook its head, the feather dress seemingly glowing because of the sunlight. Chanyeol seemed to really, _actually_ talk to his Phoenix, probably in his mind, his eyes widening and suddenly looking for Seokjin. Even though his face was stained with some lost tears and his eyes still glistened wetly, he wasn’t entirely sad. There was something else in his eyes – like a warning, a silent message.

Even before Seokjin could try to understand what Chanyeol tried to tell him, the door to the study flew open.  
«Yeol, I have really bad news-…«, a man stepped inside, tall and with tanned skin, mullet-styled, greyish hair and a rather harsh looking, sculpted face; prominent jawline, straight but small nose and plump, full lips. Though, by the sound of his deep voice and the puzzled expression on his face, he seemed to look colder than he actually was. He wore similar clothes as Chanyeol and Seokjin usually did, simple black pants with a beautiful dark green dress-shirt.  
And beside the fact that he obviously was handsome, his clothes and his face were dirty, the hair tousled and his breath fast.

The stranger’s eyes lingered on Seokjin for a few seconds too long before he quickly seemed to snap out of it and looked at Chanyeol again, his face still serious but his jaw obviously clenched, «I found Yoora’s traces…«

While an awkward silence almost broke out, Seokjin biting his lip and avoiding any eye-contact with the stranger, his body turned away and fists clenched, Chanyeol’s hard swallow could be heard through the whole study, «Where is she…?«

«What do you mean, _where is she_?«, Minho asked carefully, Jisung feeling the warlock’s hand slipping into his own and pulling him closer. The host decided not to question if this was intentionally, just for self-comfort or because he didn’t trust the stranger.  
Chanyeol casted his face downwards, «She’s missing. For about two weeks. I haven’t seen her in two weeks, and I can’t find her.«

The stranger cleared his voice, «I guess it’ll be even harder to find her now, because the traces led towards the castle of darkness. I could feel hellhounds…«  
«They dragged her to hell«, Seokjin quietly mumbled but still didn’t turn to look at anyone.

Jisung sighed, not being able to withstand this extremely tense and weird air anymore. «Okay, stop. Who the hell are you? How do you know each other? And why the freakin fuck would hellhounds drag your sister to hell? What is the castle of darkness?«, he burst out and immediately made everyone stare at him in either shock, disbelieve, amusement (that was only a small glint in Minho’s eyes though) or uncertainty.

The stranger sighed and bowed his head, «I’m sorry, my manners left me. My name is Kim Namjoon. I’m-…« - «The Commandment of Pacifism, fifth in rank and Wizard of Thunder«, Seokjin ended his sentence in an almost broken whisper, finally turning around, his eyes glazed with wet, unshed tears and his body visibly shaking from how hardly he tried to control himself. He searched Jisung’s eyes and said, «You remember my memories of the tear, right? You saw him back then. The crying man, the dimples, the charming smile and the roses. It was all related to him.«

A shaking hand lifted itself, Seokjin’s pale skin almost glowing in the finally slowly diminishing light of the setting sun, his naturally rosy hair seemingly turning violet because of it and a beautiful, silver ring on his left ring-finger reflecting the light softly, «And above all of those things, he’s my fiancé. Or at least…he used to be.«

It was silent once again for a few seconds, Jisung and Minho staring at Seokjin and Namjoon dumbfounded, the latter looking away with an uncertain look in his eyes and Chanyeol chewing his bottom lip nervously.  
Then, a small ball of fire suddenly flew past Jisung’s face (really, how often did things barely miss his head today?!) and Minho caught it skillfully, a small paper emitting from it; a fire-message, as it seemed. He unravelled it, his eyes skipping over the words and a sigh leaving his lips, «I really hate to interrupt this…moment. But you said Yoora is in hell, Namjoon-ssi?«

Namjoon nodded silently, glancing over at Seokjin who acted like he didn’t see the stolen looks and secret messages in the other’s eyes.  
Minho put the message afire in his hand and – again – grabbed Jisung’s wrist, pulling him closer. This time, the host was sure it was out of pure self-comfort. «Then I guess we should all gather in Hyunjin’s mansion. It seems like one of the Ten Commandments is in big trouble.«

«What does that have to do with Yoora?«, Seokjin mumbled quietly.  
Minho’s thumb absentmindedly rubbed over Jisung’s skin, sending shivers down his spine, his voice deep and serious, «Because Wrath woke up and told the others that Reticence had been dragged to hell by the hellhounds as well.«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnddd that's it for today :3
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter so far ><  
While being at it, I wanted to thank you guys again so much for reading and commenting! I love that you love this story so much and I'm really thankful for your support <33
> 
> Did you like our new characters? What do you think about the story so far? Any questions? Or theories? I'm interested uwu


	13. inquietude potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'mmmm baaacckkkkkk!!!  
You guys will totally love this chapter.  
I'll present you, finally; an actual, real, Minsung moment ;)
> 
> And you'll FINALLY find out Wrath's identity uwu  
Have fun reading :3

**Inquietude potion;  
Being restless is really annoying, especially if you don’t know why. The Inquietude potion is a very popular potion for pranks and evil tricks; it’s therefore extremely easy to make and a beginner potion. There aren’t any dangerous things to look out for and even though the effect certainly isn’t nice, it actually tastes quite good. Just like its name tells, the inquietude potion serves the purpose of making the victim feel uneasy, stressed, sometimes even concerned and restless. Depending on if you just take a sip or swallow a whole glass, its effect varies.  
Fun fact; some people use the inquietude potion for very famous dishes all over Ifith because it just tastes this good. Of course without adding magic to it, which makes it a normal drink in the end. **

Back when Jisung used to be a child, his mother had told him stories about the Great Ten Wizards and the Powerful Seven Warlocks. Of course, back then – considering most of them were rather young today – there were different people. At least for most of them. When Jisung was seven years old, it could be very likely that Seokjin and Namjoon, just like Chanyeol and probably some other Wizards and Warlocks already knew about their fate, didn’t really practice it though. Some positions were left without a protector of great magic for several years before some god deemed a soul worthy enough of his power and gave him the destiny of a key to either hell or heaven. Which is how Hyunjin – for example – got the name of the Warlock of Nature. Or how Seokjin got to be an expert at Healing.

It also explained why some of the most powerful wizards and warlocks of Ifith weren’t known to the majority of people – apart from the fact that they obviously hid themselves to protect the gates and keys to hell and heaven, some just simply didn’t exist yet. Though, as Jisung had figured out when he was eleven and researched about past Great Wizards and Powerful Warlocks, the currently guarding keys to hell and heaven mostly belonged to the same generation or at least weren’t way too much older than the others.

Which _also explained_ why most of them were still rather young and mostly handsome, understood each other’s emotions and thoughts and actually befriended each other. Most of them, at least.

But even if Jisung had figured that the following Great Ten and Powerful Seven would be born in his generation or a few maybe in the one prior, he never expected to actually meet one of them. He had been utterly shocked to know that Minho was friends with the Sin of Pride, third in rank and Wizard of Nature. That was a whole spectacle itself. But meeting the Commandment of Purity had felt even more ridiculous, at least until Seokjin had opened his mouth and ruined the impression of an elegant and humble wizard (he was eighth in rank so Jisung knew for a fact that Jin by far wasn’t the strongest wizard).

Jisung really didn’t know why but for some reason, he had not been fascinated upon meeting Wrath, or talking to Chanyeol, the Commandment of Truth or encountering Namjoon, the Commandment of Pacifism. Even though Chanyeol was in the top five of the most powerful wizards in all of Ifith. That was a big freaking freckle deal!

He realized how utterly rare and ridiculous it was that five of the most powerful, almost most divine living sorcerers of Ifith were currently sitting in Hyunjin’s dining room. And even more ridiculous was the mere fact that _Jisung_ – out of _all the freaking people_ existing on this planet – actually sat with them, was involved with them.

Only two months ago, he would’ve laughed at everyone telling him he’d be friends with such powerful people. Now, he barely thought of them as anything else but normal humans.

Every time they had something to discuss, they were at Hyunjin’s salon. Ryujin though had pointed out that it would be really difficult to gather literally everyone around the chimney, even while getting some other chairs from somewhere in Hyunjin’s mansion (or at least, Jisung hoped for two months now that they didn’t just snap their fingers and teleported some stranger’s belongings to them). Hence why they were now sitting at the table in the dining room instead of the comfortable and warm salon.

Minho – even though he had not been keen on it – lost rock-paper-scissors (Chanyeol, Namjoon and Wrath had stared really confused when they had started doing that), meaning he had to cook a meal for all of them. The warlock was fast and good, of course, Jisung had already had a taste of his cooking.  
While eating and even after that, it was extremely…_awkward_.

Jisung had never thought of how the Wizards and Warlocks knew each other personally. He had figured that Hyunjin and Seokjin knew each other, Seokjin obviously had a past with Namjoon and was friends with Chanyeol, who was also friends with Namjoon. Wrath though seemed to be the black sheep of them right now, not knowing anyone and, well, no one knowing his name. Understandable though – his magic was immense, by far the most powerful one in this room right now. He was the first in rank, the most powerful Sin existing. The host was honestly surprised they even survived his outburst; him and Minho _twice_.

Now that he was awake and sane, he wasn’t anywhere near dangerous.

Even though Felix occasionally tried to lift the mood with his freckle face, the bright smile, and the bubbly personality, it was extremely weird. No one really talked, obviously, out of various reasons. Jisung noticed that Seungmin and Hyunjin – who usually tended to bicker or at least talk all the god damn time – actually sat as far away from each other as possible. Yeji and Ryujin were just the definition of awkward, constantly staring at their teacher and master (Hyunjin) for help because they obviously didn’t know how to deal with this. Apart from the fact that Chanyeol was pretty down (his sister was missing after all and it’s not like she was at a really…wonderful place right now), he had the worst luck ever; for some really unfortunate reason, he was seated between Seokjin and Namjoon. The both of them never talked a word to each other, at least not directly and they also didn’t want to look at each other; hence why Chanyeol was unlucky enough to play his part as their personal brick wall (and occasional owl to transfer massages).  
Wrath obviously, _really obviously_, also didn’t feel like he belonged in here, given the fact no one knew him and he knew no one. Jisung wondered if he even actually remembered how he got here in the first place because sometimes, his brows furrowed in the most confused way. The host pitied him but didn’t know how to talk to him without being awkward.

Which was weird because usually, as a host, he could avoid awkwardness and talk to almost anyone.

But not today. Not only because he finally realized how rare this occasion actually was, but also because Minho currently stood in the kitchen, preparing two big cans of tea as some sort of…dessert. Jeongin unfortunately sat next to him in his human-form so Jisung couldn’t even play with the nine-tailed fox’s fur or fluffy tail(s). Minho usually – and yes, that may or may not sound really weird now – calmed Jisung down. It didn’t matter what was happening or what kind of unsettling emotion he felt; the warlock usually managed to ease his nerves one way or another.

Subtle touches, calming side-glances, sometimes even sweet whispers of encouragement. Minho always seemed to know exactly what Jisung needed right now.

And even though a part of Jisung was surprised when there suddenly appeared a perfectly shaped, quadrangular window in the wall hiding the kitchen, the majority of Jisung’s consciousness was not surprised at all. Minho looked through the window for a few seconds, smiling warmly; a smile only directed at Jisung. He knew that, he felt that. And he immediately calmed down.  
**_«I hope he knows that no one but him can see this window…«_**, Jisung heard Ednera’s comforting voice in the back of his mind whispering. He noticed Minho’s puzzled expression and knew that he had heard her as well, nodding upon seeing Jisung’s subtle, questioning look.

Having Ednera in your head was creepy but sometimes, really helpful. Ever since Jisung found out about who she actually was and that Minho heard her as well, she didn’t talk as often as before. It was almost like she held herself back – Jisung didn’t know why and frankly, didn’t care either. She only ever commented on things that obviously seemed to either worry or amuse her. For example when Jisung almost walked straight into Felix’s bedroom door when the fairy-boy had opened it without noticing that there were actually people walking around the hallways. Or when Jisung thought he’d had the last step on the stairs; Ednera warned him that there was another one and he luckily didn’t break his neck while carrying a pile of books from his room back to Hyunjin’s library, where they belonged.

Jisung also didn’t know if Minho heard everything she said or just the things she wanted him to hear. He wondered if there were things she said solely for Minho to hear.

The thought disappeared though, as soon as the window in the kitchen disappeared and Minho stepped outside, his magic carrying a couple of cups and the cans with fresh tea over to where everyone was seated.  
As soon as he sat back down on Jisung’s other side – the corner place at the end of the table, where Hyunjin was seated (it was _his_ seat, he almost made a fuss when Chanyeol wanted to sit there since he was the first person to enter the dining room) – he felt calm again. Minho’s arm brushed his and a jolt of electricity went through his body, calming his nerves and almost making him forget about the weird tension in the dining room.

Just almost.

Felix loudly slurped his tea, whining out loud when he obviously burned his tongue and Jeongin brotherly patted his back in sweet comfort, Hyunjin looking at him with wary eyes (though there was also worry visible, Hyunjin would never admit that).  
The following silence was totally destroyed by the loud noise of glass breaking and Chanyeol’s shocked – and surprisingly still deep – shriek. Everyone turned their head to see that the handle of the can, with which Namjoon seemingly wanted to poor himself tea, just fell off, the can falling onto the cup and the hot intent hitting Chanyeol. It wasn’t like Chanyeol could actually feel the heat, he was the Wizard of Fire after all, but it seemed like he was just startled and obviously pissed-off.  
«_Joon-ie_! What the hell?!«, the Wizard complained and Namjoon started touching around, summoning tissues and handkerchiefs out of nowhere in a stressed attempt to clean up both, table and Chanyeol.

His hand knocked over Chanyeol’s cup as well, making even more tea hit the poor man and Namjoon obviously didn’t know how to handle this without making it even worse than it already was.  
«I’m sorry-…_whoops_, I’m sorry!«, he said and tried to clean up Chanyeol’s shirt, immediately stopped moving upon hearing Seokjin’s annoyed voice, «Oh my god, stop moving, you’re making it worse!«

Jisung knew for a fact that literally everyone felt extremely respectless for watching the scene unfold but hearing Seokjin mumble a soft, _«You’re still the clumsiest person on this planet«_ made everyone’s heart flutter.

It didn’t matter _what_ finally made the two of them fall apart – though Seokjin wasn’t anywhere near as messy as Namjoon and Namjoon definitely wasn’t a diva like the other, they somehow fit perfectly. They made up for each other’s lacks and failures. They were weirdly synchronized. And even though it was clear that something bigger teared them apart in the end, both of them still wore the promise ring.

And they really obviously still liked each other.

After Chanyeol cleaned himself up with magic and traded places with Yeji – because he, quote, «_Didn’t want to stay between them for one second longer«_ – the atmosphere was much…lighter.  
Still awkward but the cute and messy scene, Namjoon’s clumsiness (which no one would’ve given him) and Chanyeol’s unlucky destiny literally eased everyone’s nerves.

The soft tone of someone clearing his voice made everyone turn their heads towards Wrath, the Warlock of Fire sitting directly in front of Minho and next to Ryujin.  
Jisung had never seen him without his inner demon trying to take over the graceful body. Now that he was as normal as can be, he actually looked quite cute; Wrath had – unlike Chanyeol’s fiery red strands – orange coloured hair; bright, round and genuinely beautiful eyes, soft tanned skin; feline, soft-looking lips, and a perfectly sculpted nose. Honestly, he looked like a dangerous mixture of cute and handsome.  
His voice was just as velvety soft as his calm looking eyes seemed, though there was determination hearable through it, «First of all…«, he turned to look at Minho and Jisung and bowed his head deeply, startling both of them, «I am really sorry for almost attacking you two in the woods. My demon shared his memory with me and I’m ashamed that my twisting emotions got the better of me…_like this_.«

While Jisung blinked in confusion, Minho nodded calmly, «It’s okay, you’re only human after all.«  
Wrath smiled softly, «Not entirely but yes, you’re right.«  
He now looked up and seemed to share eye-contact with literally everyone for at least a second, then smiling a sweet smile and saying: «I suppose all of you already know each other in one way or another. My name is Shin Byeonghee. I’m the Sin of Wrath and Warlock of Fire«, his eyes remained on Chanyeol, who mimicked the smile shyly, «I’m honoured to meet a Wizard with the same affinity.«  
«Likewise«, Chanyeol answered and they smiled at each other for a few seconds before Namjoon cleared his voice.

He introduced himself and then didn’t waste another second to get right to the point. Though he was clumsy, Namjoon certainly wasn’t dumb, «Minho-ssi told me that you know about Reticence being held captive in hell?«  
Byeonghee’s lips pressed into a thin line, «Unfortunately; yes. I don’t know why but the hellhounds are dragging souls to hell. There is no pattern. Some are just unlucky while others die on the spot. I was in a town named Orlon when they first attacked.«

Jisung caught Seungmin’s glance over the distance – like he said, Seungmin was as far away from Hyunjin as possible on the other side of the table at the far end of the row, next to Felix.  
«I don’t know why but for some reason, I witnessed a hellhound dragging a holy guard through a portal«, Byeonghee said.  
The host immediately looked at him, «Do you remember what he looked like?«

Honestly, even though Jisung tried to push the thought away, he had been quite worried about those three guards the first few weeks. He managed to swallow the guild of not looking for them by simply telling himself they were skilled and good sorcerers – they wouldn’t be holy guards if they couldn’t watch out for themselves. But there had always been a small voice in the back of his mind, telling him that at least one of them could either be dead or in hell now. Especially when he looked at the whistle Jinyoung had given him back then.

Byeonghee frowned and thought for a few seconds before answering: «Hmm…tall? Dark hair, really beautiful face. He had a sceptre but couldn’t use it anymore. Oh, and he wore a dark green cloak.«  
Oh no. Now, Jisung felt even worse. Jinyoung had been captured by a hound and even though he didn’t know any of those guards, he was worried. He shouldn’t be. But he was.  
He swallowed. «When Minho hid himself in my pub«, he looked at the warlock pointedly and with a raised eyebrow, Minho smiling innocently, «Three guards were looking for him. The one you described was Park Jinyoung. I’m not sure why but I want to help him. We need to find him.«  
«Well…«, Seokjin raised his voice, «Whatever those hellhounds were looking for, I suppose they dragged their victims to the same place.«

«Do you think they’re still alive?«, Felix asked in his deep voice, visibly shivering because of the mere thought that those people could be dead already.  
Namjoon bit his lip and answered, «…For some of them, almost two months past. Just because you’re in hell, doesn’t mean you’re immediately dead. But people with less magic tend to lose their will of staying alive faster than for example a Commandment.«  
«Yoora is a tailor. I don’t think she’ll survive long«, Chanyeol shared with worry shining in his eyes.

While they all talked back and forth, Jisung was busy thinking about something entirely different.

Namjoon had said that the hellhounds had dragged Yoora to the castle of darkness. He still didn’t know what that was and therefore softly nudged Minho’s side, making the warlock look at him with a raised eyebrow.  
«What is the Castle of Darkness?«, he asked and watched Minho bite his lip, hesitate for a few seconds before answering: «It’s the ruin of the goddess of darkness’ old habitant. She used to live there before Ranera banned Ednera to live a life in hell forever. Legends say that there is a hidden door to hell, still open and the only way for demons to trespass the border to the living world. Though, only when someone summons them.«

Jisung frowned even more, «Then who the hell summoned hellhounds?«  
There was a surprised but also confused look on Minho’s face, the warlock shrugging after some seconds of staring into Jisung’s eyes, shaking his head softly, «I don’t know. Summoning hellhounds isn’t easy, especially not as many as we saw. As far as I know, some of them could still run around, looking for souls to eat.«

The host shivered, didn’t say anything though.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin finally opened his mouth, «Talking about Yoora and Chanyeol, did you guys find something about Seungmin’s…_problem_?«  
Jisung and Minho both looked at Seokjin, expecting him to answer since they didn’t really listen to the others just now, barely knowing what they were talking about.  
Jin sighed and rolled his eyes. «Unfortunately, we have to find out which god did this to Seungmin. There are no books about this. We suppose that if there is any information about this, then we would find it in a holy writing.«  
«So you want to go look for a holy writing that could very likely not exist anymore?«, Byeonghee said. He probably meant it in a supporting way, his voice was serious though.

The Commandment paused in his movement and frowned, shaking his head slightly, «No, you’re right. That’s ridiculous. There has to be another way.«

Seungmin shrugged, «We could just ignore it and focus on the more important things, like for example; hellhounds dragging random people to hell.«  
«You literally glowed like a freakin magical light«, Hyunjin argued and they both glared at each other over the whole table.  
Byeonghee cleared his throat and subtly ignored their silent battle of stares, «I have to say that I agree on Hyunjin’s opinion. I’m literally the most powerful person in this room right now and I never met anyone who made me knee in front of them. Whatever it was that took your body over, it’s something celestial and I don’t think it’s a good idea to just ignore it.«

The young priest bit his lip and nodded silently, avoiding any further eye-contact with Hyunjin, and seemed to understand the point Byeonghee had.  
«So what are we going to do?«, Chanyeol asked and made everyone think about a solution.

Namjoon finally sat up, looking over at Jisung, «You’re a magic potion expert, right?«  
The host nodded slowly, not liking where this was going.  
«There is a potion…called the Drop of Dusk. It’s extremely hard to mix and difficult to handle but if we want to enter hell, we’ll need it. It allows living creatures to enter hell through the door in the Castle of Darkness and it kind of…_protects_ them. Could you mix it?«

Jisung thought about that question for a few seconds. Magically, just looking at his own magic level, he _knew_ _and_ _felt_ that the Drop of Dusk wouldn’t be a problem. But just like Namjoon said; it’s an extremely difficult and hard potion. A potion people rarely mixed because; who would want to enter hell for a random visit?  
Though, when he had mixed the awakening potion, he had fallen into some sort of trance, trusting his instincts. Trusting Minho’s words, especially; _he knew what to do and how to do it._ It was in his bones, in his blood. He had a talent for it.  
And so, he nodded slowly, «I’ll have to prepare myself for…let’s say two days. But I can do it.«

A satisfied smile spread on Namjoon’s face, cute dimples showing on his cheeks. Jisung realized that it was the first time he’d actually seen him smile for real, not just in the vivid image of a tear’s memory.  
Namjoon was charming indeed. «Perfect«, he said and nodded to himself, then continuing, «I have a plan. I agree on Seungmin’s opinion that rescuing the people in hell is the priority right now. Though, I also agree that we should not wait for Seungmin to suddenly have another celestial experience. What if his body suddenly can’t handle the flow of magic? Divine magic is a totally different story than just the affinity to an earth element.«

Jeongin nodded slowly, for the first time saying something in this discussion, «Then what do you think should we do, Namjoon-ssi?«  
The Commandment smiled at the nine-tailed fox warmly, «Please just call me Namjoon, I’m not anywhere near as old and wise as you«, a knowing grin spread across Jeongin’s face, the fox remained silent though when Namjoon continued speaking, «I think we should form two groups: some of us will go down to hell, rescuing the missing people; the others will travel to Atror and try to get some information regarding Seungmin.«

«Atror?«, Hyunjin questioned and tilted his head, «Why the Capital?«  
«Because the only person knowing what’s happening with Seungmin and still being alive…is her majesty«, Namjoon answered.

Jisung stared at him in utter shock. In which universe did he think would they be able to randomly visit the Queen herself, just like that? And besides – Hyunjin and Seungmin had both said that Ranera doesn’t answer to any of the messages being send to her. Of course, it could mean that she just didn’t want to or couldn’t answer for some reason. But what if she really weren’t capable of answering?  
The magic potion expert never really dared to say it, but something felt extremely fishy about this and he just had a bad feeling in his gut that Ranera didn’t answer because she _really_ _couldn’t_. That something bigger was going on. He remembered the message Seungmin had told him about, the fire message with just one warning. And just a week after it, hell literally ran loose in Ifith. Maybe it was just a pure coincidence but somehow, it timed too perfectly for that.

As always though, Jisung decided to keep his thoughts to himself. At least for now (he’ll probably tell Minho later anyways).  
«And what do you think should this groups look like?«, Chanyeol asked and looked at Namjoon questioningly.  
Namjoon seemed to be a tactical genius, his answer shooting right out of his mouth within the next few seconds as if he had planned this for a whole week: «We need a Sin to enter hell, or else Ednera will kick them out immediately. It’s a shame the Warlock of Darkness isn’t with us, but I guess Byeonghee will be welcome just as much«, he looked over to Byeonghee, who nodded shortly, then continued talking, «Hell is tough territory. Even with the Drop of Dusk, there’ll be demons and probably hellhounds trying to kill us, send by Ednera – she won’t just allow us to roam around her kingdom like that. So I think that Group Hell should look like this; Byeonghee, Hyunjin, Minho and Jeongin-ie. I’d stay back here to communicate with you and just in case something would happen.«

He looked at everyone individually, Jisung noticing that Minho had immediately stiffened upon hearing his name. He saw Hyunjin looking at him in some sort of warning way, they didn’t say anything though.  
Namjoon continued: «Since you can’t just enter Ranera’s castle, _Alpha Centauri_, without permission, we’ll need a Commandment for that. Hence why I would organise Group Seungmin like this: «_Jin-ie_, Chanyeol, Jisung and Seungmin himself, obviously«, he hesitated for a moment and then smiled apologetically, looking over at Seokjin with red cheeks, «I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you by that nickname.«  
Jin just nodded, didn’t answer though.

Hyunjin seemed to think about that for a few seconds before finally nodding, agreeing on Namjoon’s plan, «I think that’ll work. Jisung will make the Drop of Dusk and as soon as it’s done, we’ll go on our mission.«  
While everyone seemed to be satisfied with the plan, Minho suddenly shook his head and mumbled a quiet: «I’m against it.« – «Min, we talked about this«, Hyunjin said in a warning tone and they stared at each other daringly. Jisung felt it before he saw it – the vibrating air, the dangerous aura, the extremely unpleased emotion. He turned his head to look at Minho, the warlock and Hyunjin both literally glaring at each other.  
His voice was a whole octave deeper than usually, «I don’t feel good about letting Jisung go on his own.«

«He’s _not_ going on his own, there are _two_ of the Great Commandments joining him. We can’t take him with us to hell, it’s more dangerous for him there«, Hyunjin argued and stood up, probably to show that he was higher than Minho in more than just one way.  
Jisung felt like everyone was staring at him, even though he knew that was only half true; most of them were looking at him _and_ _Minho_, trying to understand why it bothered the warlock so much.

Really, if someone would’ve asked him, he wouldn’t be able to answer; he would like to know it as well.

«I have a bad feeling about this«, Minho said lowly and stood up as well.

Okay, now it started to get really…dangerous here. Jisung had two main concerns right now; first of all, Hyunjin was stronger than Minho, he would literally rip him apart within seconds, and secondly, before Minho would be ripped apart, they would probably destroy half of the mansion. And hurt a lot of people in the process of doing so.  
But, even though he agreed that Minho overreacted (and Jisung didn’t understand why), he shared his thoughts; Jisung also felt weird about Atror, felt something bad in the depths of his gut. A bad feeling.

And maybe, somewhere in his subconsciousness, there was something that told him he needed to stay near Minho – needed him to ground him, to be there, to just…be here.  
He tried to ignore that though, like always and slowly stood up as well, carefully touching Minho’s wrist. The touch seemed to break Minho’s cold and dangerous aura, his body wincing but then immediately relaxing. He turned his head and looked him in the eyes, as if he wanted Jisung to say something.  
Which he did, «I’ll be fine. I promise. Calm down and stop it, I don’t want this to end in an explosion.«

Although reluctant, Minho’s magical concentration ceased and he took a deep breath, throwing a lingering glare towards Hyunjin and then marching out of the dining room faster than anyone could say something, his calm but still not very pleased _«Fine«_ echoing through the room.

Jisung knew for sure that at least now, _everyone_ was staring at _him_.

\-----

It was extremely weird.

Jisung had read dozens of things about…connections, about friendship and…well…love. Not like he felt love right now, no.  
Certainly not.  
But he felt…restless. And somehow he just knew that those were not his own emotions. That it wasn’t his own stress or his own feelings.

After Minho had very clearly shown that he was not keen on going on a trip to hell without Jisung and storming out of the room, everyone had scattered around and left to do their own thing. It was almost midnight after all and Jisung dared to say that he was extremely tired. He had had a stressful and tiring day.  
And he thought that being tired and having Hyunjin’s restriction in his head that would keep Kritix out of his mind would be enough to send him off to the land of dreams in no time.

It wasn’t apparently. He was tired, yes. And every ounce of his body desired rest more than anything. But somehow, he just couldn’t lay still, he just couldn’t fall asleep. And after turning and tossing ins his bed for exactly 38 minutes, he decided that there was no way he could catch a second of sleep.  
Not like this.

Somehow, he knew that his restless mind came from Minho. And when he walked up the secret pathway to the warlock’s room and silently entered, said man indeed wasn’t asleep. He was still awake, his chimney lit afire and a probably cold and full cup of tea resting on the small table in front of the dark blue armchair he sat in.

Upon hearing someone entering his room, Minho turned around and looked at Jisung dumbfounded, his eyes though returning to their previous stare towards the fire. He was used to Jisung’s visits at midnight, as it seemed.

Honestly, it _had_ happened quite often.

_It still did._

Jisung wasn’t sure why he came up here in the first place, wasn’t sure what he wanted to say either way. _«Why are you acting like I’m your most important treasure«_, wasn’t exactly the best way to start the topic. And he wasn’t brave enough to say that anyways.  
Out of pure intuition, he stepped behind the warlock and softly touched his shoulders, waiting for Minho to push him away or shrug his hands off. He didn’t move though; it almost seemed like he didn’t actually feel the touch. Jisung knew that Minho was awake and aware of his presence as soon as he started massaging the tight muscles.  
The warlock sighed after some silent minutes had passed, nothing but the sound of fire being heard in the room until he finally said something, «I’m sorry. For my outburst. I don’t know how to explain it to the others…so I just fled.«

The host hummed and continued massaging his shoulders, «You shouldn’t apologize to me. It’s not like I’m not halfway used to your weird protection-habit.«  
A soft chuckle left Minho’s lips, though, it was half-hearted. He groaned when Jisung accidentally pressed on a sensitive trigger point too hardly, the potion expert apologizing for it and continuing more carefully.  
«Why are you here?«, Minho asked after yet another few seconds of silence.

Jisung bit his lip. Yes, good question; _why the freaking freckle was he here?_ He swallowed the lump in his throat that build when his subconscious voice answered him, _«Because you felt his distress«_. That couldn’t be possible. They barely knew each other. And even if they would know each other since they were kids – it wasn’t like Jisung felt Seungmin’s emotions.  
He absentmindedly started playing with Minho’s dark hair instead of massaging the now loosened muscles, «I also don’t like the idea of letting you go to hell...«

It wasn’t an answer to Minho’s question. At least not a clear answer. It was part of the reason why he was here – because deep down, he had this feeling. This weird feeling. This heavy feeling in his gut – it almost felt like fear. Though; fear of _what_? «I don’t want to be parted from you. Not like this. I feel like…« – he slowly circled Minho’s armchair, stopping when he stood right in front of the warlock – «…I feel like something will happen. Something bad.«

For a few seconds, Minho just seemed to stare into Jisung’s eyes.  
The warlock’s face had always been a mesmerizing sight; the way his small nose perfectly fit into the somehow both, weirdly feminine and masculine features; how his round eyes sparkled whenever he laughed, how they seemed to absorb light and reflect in their own, special and beautiful way; how his moue lips pulled into the sweetest smiles and the most serious purses; the way his black hair got longer over the two months he had known him so far, how he usually styled them in a parted way and how he sometimes shook his head to fluidly move the strands out of his eyesight; the sound of his ear-piercings clinking like the bell of a cat.  
Minho was truly mesmerizing, an art in itself. If the gods wanted to take their time while designing someone, the warlock definitely was one of them.

Jisung didn’t even realize he was staring until he felt warmth surround his wrist. In the next moment, Minho pulled him forward so that he sat on his lap, his knees left and right from his legs and his face embarrassingly near to the other’s. They were so near that Jisung could feel the warmth radiating from the warlock’s pale skin, his hands resting on Minho’s upper body in order to stop the impact with him. The host knew he should move away. He knew he should stand up and put some distance between them. But as soon as he felt Minho’s hand resting on his hip and the other gently playing with his strawberry-blonde hair, he _couldn’t_.

He barely touched Jisung’s forehead, only swiftly grazed the skin there – but this soft touch send shivers down the host’s whole spine, almost made him shiver for real.  
«This may sound totally crazy to you«, Minho started, his voice barely above a whisper but Jisung had heard him, «But I just want to keep you save.«  
Minho’s eyes followed the movement of his hand, resting on Jisung’s cheek, moving down towards his jaw and to his chin, «You have no idea what you’re doing to me.«  
This time, the potion expert shivered for real when he felt Minho’s thumb touching his bottom lip, softly parting them and his eyes fixated on them.

Jisung let him do it. His heart was beating ridiculously fast, absentmindedly leaning into the warlock’s touch when he cupped his cheek again, leaning forward in a trance. _He_ _wanted_. He didn’t exactly knew _what_, but he knew that it wasn’t pure _want_. He needed. He needed to be nearer, he needed to feel this warmth even closer.  
His eyes dropped to Minho’s parted lips. The warlock didn’t seem to notice. Jisung wondered what they would feel like; if they were as soft as they looked. If the warmth would spread in his body. He wanted to be closer.

_He wanted to kiss Minho. _

They inched closer without even noticing, Jisung only realizing how close they really were when he felt the other’s lips moving against his as he mumbled, _«Don’t do it, Minho.«  
_It had been quiet, Jisung had barely heard it. But it definitely sounded like Minho tried to stop himself. And it was then that the host realized it; their close proximity; their breath mingling into each other; their foreheads touching; their bodies pressed together.

Too close. They were too close. It felt like waking up from a dream. And when Jisung suddenly blinked, Minho seemed to fall out of his trance as well.

He firmly (but still weirdly gentle) pushed Jisung away by his hips, turning his head away a little bit and taking deep breaths. His grip on Jisung’s waist got firmer for a few seconds and he swallowed hardly before saying with clenched jaw, «You should go to sleep. You’ll have a lot to learn…tomorrow. About the Drop of Dusk.«

Without even thinking about the words, Jisung abruptly stood up and forced the fastest _«Good Night« _out he had ever needed to force out, his eyes screwed shut and his whole body shaking until he finally lay in his own bed.

He felt weird. He felt cold. Now, he wasn’t restless anymore – he was…_jittery_. He felt like he drank too much alcohol and still needed more. He felt like something was missing.

And above all of those things, he was confused.

He stared up at the ceiling of his king-sized bed, straight into the darkness.  
«What just happened…?«, Jisung mumbled absentmindedly.

And while he fell into a sleep full of weird dreams and endless turning and tossing, he had no idea that the bad feeling in his gut was by far the most accurate feeling he had ever had…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOOWWW  
I told you, Wrath's identity is pretty shocking xD  
lmao for all the people who are new; this is edited lmao. Our dearest character for Wrath USED to be A CERTAIN SOMEONE but I changed him into an OC. But he's amazing nonetheless uwu
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter and that I somehow made some of you guy's days. I know, with everything going on all around the world right now, it's kind of...hard and weird. But whether or not you're just bored or actually just having a really bad day, I hope this helped your mood and put a smile onto your face.  
I see you in the next chapter! And don't forget, if you have any questions or theories, don't hesitate to share them with me uwu  
Thank you so much for reading! <33


	14. drop of dusk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo~  
Here's the next chapter for the story. I hope you like it, it's more of a filler but really important for the once who like to do some theory :3  
Other than that, I hope you enjoy it uwu

**Drop of dusk;  
There are some potions that simply seem to be out of this world, like for example the awakening potion (page 10). Though, apart from some potions being either holy or sacred, there are also the mysterious potions. The drop of dusk certainly belongs to that section, no one really knowing why you would need it. There are hundreds of different stories and myths, but no one really knows for sure. Most commonly, people say that the drop of dusk is used to part your soul from your body.  
We hardly recommend you to refrain from mixing and drinking this potion because we don’t know what could happen – and we’re sure you don’t want to find out either…**

If there was one thing Jisung was afraid of, it probably was his own brain and the things it was capable of. Or in this case; _not_ capable of. It wasn’t like he didn’t like his smart brain – no, certainly not. But apart from being able to do simple maths on the spot, figuring out riddles and winning at a chess-match, there were also other things going on in his brain.  
Something Jisung always hated about his brain was its capacity of information. Now that he met Chanyeol, he knew that he indeed had an enhanced memory. Hence why he remembered literally everything he ever read or heard as long as he did so in a mentally stable condition. And of course, he had to be awake for it to actually be heard by him.

Enhanced memories were cool, yes. But people tend to forget that information and stories aren’t the only things your brain stored. If Jisung could, he’d sell the memory of his dying mother immediately. Or the memory of people shouting and crying when the hellhounds invaded Orlon.  
His brain also remembered situations and things that happened. And unfortunately, bad things also counted as memories. He couldn’t _just forget_ them.

Just like information was mainly an objective thing to most people, memories usually triggered some sort of emotion; some better than others. And emotions were the one thing Jisung may hate even more than the memories. Because the emotions were what made the memories bad after all. If he wouldn’t be able to feel, he wouldn’t care about the memories’ sad outcome, what the memories lead to and what had happened.  
Sometimes, Jisung wished that he had been born with the incapability of feeling rather than enhanced memory.

Though right now, instead of being sad or disappointed, he was mainly one thing; pissed-off. But at the bottom and beneath that strong feeling, he was confused.  
Maybe you could say that he had a crises.

The biggest crises of his life so far.

With a sigh, Jisung dropped the last ingredient into the pot in front of him and waited for it to turn golden-coloured, which it did. The Drop of Dusk had taken him three days to mix and beside the fact that he was tired as hell, he also didn’t sleep very much.

Seungmin was sitting on the table next to him, his legs dangling back and forth and a bored expression on his face as he read a cringy romance novel. His nose wrinkled, his eyes seemingly reading an uncomfortable scene, «I don’t know how you were able to read these things«, Seungmin complained and closed the book with a disgusted look on his face, «This is cheesy. But in a bad way. I’m suddenly happy we weren’t allowed to read such books in the temple.«  
Jisung honestly barely listened, too concentrated on chanting a spell and finishing the Drop of Dusk. Finally, he might add.

«Uh-huh«, he answered plainly and earned an annoyed glare from his best friend.  
The potion was finally done and so, he blew out the fire with a tired sigh. «I’m sorry, I honestly didn’t listen at all«, Jisung said as he turned to look at Seungmin.

The young priest raised an eyebrow in the most sceptical way before leaning back on his hands and nonchalantly saying, «What’s going on between you and Minho?«  
Jisung knew that if his skin would actually change all of its colour, he’d be red as a tomato now. Did he hear something? Did Seungmin know? No, that wasn’t possible – his room was on the other side of the mansion, on the first floor! There was no way he heard them! And it wasn’t like they were loud anyways.  
The potion expert forced his too much thinking brain to stop imagining…_things _(like in what kind of situation they _would_ be loud) and tried to play dumb instead, «W-What? There’s nothing going on, how ridiculous would that be, _hahaha_…« He cringed at the laugh himself.

Seungmin wasn’t taking his shit at all anyways, «Maybe you’re not lying and there’s really nothing particularly…_dirty_ going on. But you’re lying when you try to tell me that Minho isn’t acting like you’re his treasure or something like that.«  
He wanted to, really; but Jisung couldn’t deny _that_. Swiftly ignoring the statement about _‘something dirty going on’_, the potion expert sighed again and truthfully spilled the tea about what was going on. Not like something was going on. But something was going on.

You know?

Doesn’t matter.

«Wait«, Seungmin said and blinked confused, staring hard at his friend, «You’re telling me that he almost _kissed_ you? And you _didn’t_ _push_ _him_ _away_?!«  
«…Yes?«, Jisung answered and frowned, «It was weird, honestly. It’s not like I didn’t think he’s attractive until now, I’d be lying if I’d say that he’s not charming indeed. But apart from the fact that Minho has been avoiding me ever since that night five days ago, it didn’t feel like we were…ourselves? I don’t know how to explain this, I’m confused!«  
Deliberately ignoring his whines, Seungmin mimicked Jisung’s frown instead, «I don’t really know what you mean but…talking about not being yourself and stuff like that; Minho tents to lose his shit when things involve you. We talked about me slapping you and it was _not_ okay, but he literally seemed to be two seconds from ripping us apart. I don’t know if you ever noticed but he’s always on his guard, always somewhere near you. As if he’s expecting something to kill you within the next three seconds. It’s really weird.«

Jisung knew that. He had noticed it within the first week he stepped foot inside this mansion. Not only that the warlock seemed to watch out for him; also that he had come back to Orlon in the first place. Why did he? Minho and Jisung didn’t know each other. He had had no obligation or personal reason to save Jisung from any danger. And still, he had risked his own and Jeongin’s life to rescue him from dying in Orlon. It was really weird indeed.

«Hyunjin told me to keep it to myself…«, Seungmin started and leaned in closer to Jisung, who had checked on the potion and stirred in it some more, waiting for it to cool down properly, «…but I think that you should know this.«  
The potion expert looked at his best friend expectantly, «What?«  
Seungmin hesitated, bit his lip even, but then said: «After Minho had stormed off, Hyunjin wanted to talk to me because we had some…differences to settle. We made up, _blahblahblah_, but then we started talking about Minho’s outburst. Hyunjin was mad, really mad. Mumbling about how Minho never listened to him. I asked him what he was talking about and I don’t think Hyunjin intended to tell me but it kind of slipped. He said that Minho’s control started to slip from him more and more with every day passing. And that he wouldn’t be able to keep him from hurting himself and you if Minho wouldn’t stop now. He then apologized and asked me to forget about it.«

Control? But control from what? Jisung was confused – he had noticed already that Minho obviously had a really bad temper. At least with things involving him. He had said it himself; he wants to keep Jisung save.   
And the host just didn’t know _why_. Why did he care so much? What made him so attached? And more importantly; why did Jisung feel that deep inside of him, he _wanted_ Minho to protect him?

Finally thinking that he had had enough of this conversation, Jisung smirked and successfully changed the topic by saying, «So you and Hyunjin made up? How?«  
Seungmin flicked his forehead.

\-----

«I’ve never seen the Drop of Dusk as perfectly mixed as that…!«, Namjoon said while examining Hyunjin’s phial of the potion, «How did you do that?« Jisung was flattered, although he didn’t really know why. And it wasn’t like he actually remembered what he did in the first place – to be quite honest, he was in some sort of daze when he mixed it and barely remembered listening to Seungmin’s occasional complaints.  
Therefore, he merely shrugged and then turned to look at the others.

The day had finally come – their mission started.

Jisung had had to wait for the potion to properly cool down for almost thirteen hours (ignoring Felix’s unfunny statement about how bad of an omen that was). And throughout all of this time, Minho had ignored him. Well, no. Actually, _ignoring_ wasn’t exactly the right word. He _avoided_ him. Honestly, Jisung had avoided him as well.  
Although he denied it when Seungmin commented that he was having a _‘gay crises’_, the potion expert knew that he indeed held the title of a panicked gay right now. But it wasn’t like Minho didn’t avoid him. Jisung was sure that his own reasons were different to Minho’s though.

Don’t get him wrong though – _Jisung_ _obviously still didn’t like Minho in that way._

But now that he was looking at Minho, patiently waiting to leave this place and dressed in tight leather pants, accompanied with a black shirt and the fitting black jacket over it, he started to regret avoiding him. Not only because the warlock looked heavenly good – that wasn’t new to Jisung and nothing unordinary at this point.  
No, it was the way Minho was mimicking the stare; very obviously showing that he, too, regretted his behaviour. Jisung didn’t know why but this moment, these few minutes before they send them off, felt like the last few seconds for them. Like they’d have a lot of difficulties to struggle with on their own. And Jisung knew that neither of them liked the idea of seeing each other off.

Still, for whatever reason. Jisung didn’t know. But he had a feeling Minho did. And that was perfectly fine with him.

He cleared his voice and pointed at the phial everyone from Group Hell (they really had to work on that name) had, «Okay. The Drop of Dusk is your ticket to hell and your ticket out of it. Everyone has enough in it to drink at least five sips. One sip equals one ticket. As soon as you sipped it, you’ll be a part of the dead. Your soul will leave your body.«  
«Wait what?«, Hyunjin said and frowned, «I thought the Drop of Dusk only allows us to stay out of any demons reach?«

Jisung clearly shook his head, «Absolutely not. You can’t, _under no circumstances_, enter hell as a living being. It’s impossible. First of all, you wouldn’t survive it in the first place. And secondly, hell isn’t for the living.«  
«But we’re holding a demon in us. Me and Hyunjin«, Byeonghee said, pointing at himself and the other Sin, «Shouldn’t we be able to enter?«  
«Theoretically spoken, yes. But since I’m not entirely sure about that, I’d advise you to take the Drop of Dusk. Better safe than sorry«, Jisung answered and watched all of them nod.

«I don’t know what kind of…situation is ruling in the Castle of Darkness. It’s possible that there are lurking hellhounds at the entrance to hell«, Namjoon explained and immediately caught everyone’s attention, «I’m always on alert and I’m following you with a special spell. I’m linked to your soul so when you enter hell, you’ll still be able to contact me through the mind-link. But just in case something happens, take this.«  
The Wizard of Thunder handed each one a small ball that was glowing slightly. Jisung knew what it was, never actually seen one by himself though; the Pearl of Light. It was supposed to enlighten your soul in the darkest moments, lead you to the right path and help you out in dangerous situations. They were extremely rare and said to only grow in the depths of the sea. Jisung was surprised that Namjoon even had them, then again guessed that a Wizard like him came around quite often and probably had his ways of collecting rare and powerful items.   
Namjoon had a stern look on his face as he said, «Be mindful that every pearl only works once; so if you use it, it’ll be gone. Use them wisely. And only in an emergency.«

They all nodded solemnly, turning their heads to Jisung when he continued talking, «Because your bodies will be left alone in the Castle of Darkness as soon as you drink the Drop of Dusk, someone has to stay back. I don’t know for how long the potion is going to work, though it’s perfectly mixed. Like I said, you have five sips in your phial and the Pearl of Light, just in case. Most importantly; when your souls leave your bodies, you’ll have to take the Drop of Dusk from your sleeping self. You can only return to your body when you keep the sip in your mouth for five seconds. And I don’t want you to hope that the Pearl of Light will be enough – because if you happened to use them already, we can’t get you out of hell. Do you understand?«

Again, they all nodded and Namjoon and Jisung sighed, done with explaining what they had to do.  
«Good…then I guess, you’re ready to go«, Namjoon said.  
Chanyeol stepped forward and gave Byeonghee a small bell, «This is Aurora’s bell. She’s my phoenix. If you need her, call her and she will help you. Don’t hesitate to call her, even when you’re in hell.«  
Byeonghee nodded and put the golden bell into a pocket, securely close to his chest so it wouldn’t accidentally ring, but also wouldn’t get lost.

Jisung stepped forward and gently touched Minho’s wrist – something they both regularly did, knowing that it somehow calmed the other down. It was a subtle touch, barely noticed by anyone. And yet, it felt like a lightning going straight through your body. Minho, like always, flinched slightly but then relaxed, a soft smile on his face, «I’ll be careful.«  
«I sure hope you will«, Jisung answered and bit his lip, unsure what he should say. It wasn’t like he was afraid of Minho getting hurt. He didn’t know how to voice it but for some really odd reason, he was more afraid of what would happen to himself. Somehow, he knew that Minho would come back in one piece.  
But would Jisung do so too? He really didn’t know why but even though a visit to Ranera’s home sounded much more pleasing than a trip to hell…he couldn’t help but wish he could trade with someone.  
«You’re going to be fine…right?«, Minho asked him.

There was it again. The pink in his eyes – the pink that shouldn’t be there. And yet, it was. Jisung stared into the warlock’s orbs for a few seconds before nodding slowly, «Yes. I’ll be fine. I’m not alone right? And what could possibly happen in Atror…?«

He didn’t believe his own words, couldn’t tell Minho though.

And the second Hyunjin, Minho, Byeonghee and Jeongin left through the portal, Jisung knew that Minho didn’t believe him as well…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's really short - but don't worry, I have a surprise for you guys uwu  
It had to be this short because it really is kind of a filler and I didn't want to unnecessarily drag this out.  
Thank you for reading uwu


	15. straining potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaaaaa!  
My surprise for you guys uwu  
Since the previous chapter was so short, I decided to do a double update  
Have fun reading! I'm sure you'll love this one :)

**Straining potion;  
I feel like there are very few potions that are actually helpful and curing something rather than most of them triggering you. The straining potion certainly belongs to the _‘you’d rather not’_-section. It’s thankfully a rather hard potion to make and extremely unpopular because of it, its mixing taking double the amount of time it actually takes effect. Just like its name, the straining potion makes its victim extremely…stressed. But more on an emotional basis; people who’re pranked or forced to drink this have to go through immense emotional pressure. Some time ago, it was used as a method to make criminals talk in prison. The government agreed on Ranera’s words, that the usage of the straining potion should become a crime itself.  
Or shortly; even if the effect doesn’t hold on for too long, emotional pressure like this isn’t something to play around with and we highly recommend you to not brew this.**

_Minho_ never liked making new friends. It wasn’t even because of the people he met or that he didn’t like them. No, he liked humans. He liked spending time with them, he liked listening to their problems and trying to help them through their midlife crises, even when he was still a kid.  
Yerin – his mother – had always called him a smart child. Not necessarily because he had good grades in school. He was smart on a level kids his age shouldn’t be.  
He was weirdly good at solving mathematic problems and strategic things, he could beat anyone at chess, and he liked to read about psychological wonders of our brain more than adventurous stories of a magical creature. Minho’s brain thought in a more mature way than he himself was. At least on a logical base.

Of course, overall, he was still a child when he was six years old. He could tell you exactly which kingdom was next to the other, could tell you the exact years all the historically important events had taken place. But even with this knowledge, he was still a kid. And Yerin had never failed to show him how much he loved him for that.  
Though, Minho assumed that even if he wouldn’t have been a halfway normal child, she would’ve loved him the same. Her heart was too kind to be the one of a human’s, her soul too precious. So every time Minho did something that wasn’t good, that wasn’t okay – he felt bad for it. Not really because he knew it wasn’t good. Or because he knew that he did something wrong. But the simple fact that Yerin had looked at him with those big, disappointed eyes, unshed tears glistening in them. That was enough for him to regret it. To feel guilty. For Yerin, he would’ve done anything. Because to him, she was so much more than just a mother he never had – to him, she was a _lifesaver_. In Minho’s eyes, there was no one as pure and holy as Yerin.

When Hyunjin and Minho met, they instantly clicked. It was weird, at first. Minho didn’t even know why he went to talk to that bored, unknown kid sitting on the bench next to the fountain in the middle of the market. Even from afar, Minho had known that this kid was a sorcerer – a warlock, to be exact. Not only because of the way he was dressed, but Minho had also felt his magic. It was strong; so much stronger than such a young boy’s magic should actually be.  
Though hesitant, Hyunjin had started to open up to him. Every week when he came to Atror with his father, on the same day, waiting on the same spot, they talked to each other. And in zero to no time, they became something similar to…_friends_.

Minho tried to hold an emotional distance to Hyunjin. Not because he didn’t like him, he did. And that was the problem. Minho wasn’t allowed to like someone. He wasn’t allowed to make friends like this, smile and laugh like this. All of his luck probably had been paid off with Yerin finding him and raising him. Thirteen years old Minho desperately tried to hold a certain amount of space between himself and that beautiful, eleven years old warlock’s son.

But with Hyunjin’s twelfth birthday, his true powers had been awakened and his destiny had been decided; the Goddess of Nature, Kritix, had chosen him to be the third in rank, the Warlock of Nature and Sin of Pride.  
Hyunjin had been…unsure. He didn’t want to be a Sin, let alone hold the title of such a strong warlock. He just wanted to continue being that careless, lively boy he was.  
Unfortunately though, he didn’t have a choice but getting used to his new position, to his new life. And Minho had often tried to imagine how Hyunjin’s character and life would’ve developed if his dearest father wouldn’t have died shortly after his birthday.

If his father would’ve been there to help him through this, telling him that it wasn’t so bad and that they’d somehow make it through.

Minho didn’t meet Hyunjin for almost two months. The Warlock of Nature had totally cut off any connections. It was hard. Because somehow, Minho wanted to be there for him. But on the other side, there was this darkness inside of him; this voice telling him that yes, this was the perfect opportunity to cut things off. To finally distant himself without having to feel guilty. Because the odds that they’d randomly meet again couldn’t be that high, right?  
Wrong.   
Two months later, Minho met Hyunjin on a rainy day. Like always, sitting on that same bench. But this time, there were almost no people walking around on the market. The warlock’s legs weren’t dangling back and forth. His face didn’t light up the second he heard Minho’s familiar steps muting as he stopped barely two steps away from him. Because this was the first time that Hyunjin sat there and didn’t wait for his father to finish running his errands.

Or maybe, he did.

Hyunjin never judged Minho for that day. They had never really talked about it for a long time. Honestly, Minho didn’t know why. But as soon as Hyunjin had looked up and shared a half-hearted, saddened smile, he had started to sob. And cry. Minho would never forget Hyunjin’s lifeless and yet so shocked stare when the other fell onto his knees, crying and apologizing for not being there, for not visiting him, for not sending his father off. The kind man who had allowed Minho to stay at his home more often than not. The man that had made them the worst cookies someone ever baked. The man that had taught Minho how to properly use an illusion spell.

And even though Hyunjin should’ve been the person who needed a hug, who needed comfort and someone to pat his back and run a soothing hand through his soft hair…he was the one who did exactly those things for Minho. Shushing him softly, glaring at everyone who stared at them dumbly or weirdly, wiping away the tears or the raindrops, it didn’t really matter. For minutes, probably for hours. _Hyunjin was just there._  
Minho had been so hurt – his heart _literally_ hurt. He knew that he shouldn’t do this. But he did. And with every passing second he was staying so close to Hyunjin, the voice inside of him that told him to stay away got quieter and quieter; until it wasn’t there anymore.

Against his better judgement, Minho opened up his heart to Hyunjin and to Hyunjin only. And later, also to Jeongin – because they were only available as a double pack and Hyunjin without Jeongin didn’t exist. Minho didn’t care; Jeongin was a sweety and a loyal nine-tailed fox.

He befriended Hyunjin’s first ever student, Yeji. He also started to like talking to Ryujin. But even though Minho got his own room in Hyunjin’s mansion over the time, he never really stayed longer than for a month or two. He always went back home, home to his mother, to his Yerin, helping her with her bakery and promising her that everything was perfectly fine, and she didn’t need to worry.

She did, of course, and Minho knew that. But he always told her not to because every time he told her he was fine, her heart lightened up a little bit. Even though she knew it was a lie, even though she knew that Minho could never be…_fine_.

That’s just how much of a pure soul Lee Yerin was.

A cold breeze hit Minho’s face as soon as they stepped out of the portal behind them, Jeongin almost knocking Hyunjin over in the process.  
«Master! You’ve become a real pain for travelling through space!«, the fox complained and sighed when Hyunjin smiled sheepishly, «I’m sorry, ever since I have Ryujin and Yeji, I never really had to use my portal anymore.«

Byeonghee smiled and mumbled a soft,_ «How pleasing«_, ignoring Hyunjin’s immediate reaction of pure offend.

They had taken a rather long trip through space, their destination being Vriston. It used to be Ednera’s Kingdom a long time ago, but with her expatriation from earth and punishment to live in hell, the kingdom became dark and uncared for, a constant lack of everything pure or light ruling here. People of Ifith called it hell on earth. There were still humans living in Vriston, most of them were witty criminals, warlocks, and wizards though. Minho knew that there were some werewolves as well, just like tons of lost souls. Even though there were some people living here, there weren’t actually towns or running businesses of civilization. It was a deserted, lost kingdom. You couldn’t grow any plants here; you couldn’t drink its water without having to boil it first.

Vriston was a Kingdom of damnation. And no god wanted to save its grounds. Though Minho assumed that even if there was a god who wanted to help this dead kingdom, he wasn’t allowed to do so.

Being here was a danger and total crime in itself. Trying to help it as a god probably would make Ranera ban him in hell next to Ednera.

«Where should we go?«, Hyunjin asked and looked at Jeongin questioningly, who started concentrating himself on the dark magic coming from the castle. He pointed forwards, «The Castle of Darkness isn’t that far from here – maybe half a day by foot.«  
They all nodded silently and started walking.

Vriston was cold but not exactly because of the weather – there wasn’t really…a weather here. Because there was no god who provided this kingdom with light or nature, everywhere seemed to be the same grey landscapes with the same grey sky and the dull, almost non-existing sunlight shining down onto them. It wasn’t cold because it was autumn; it was cold because there literally wasn’t anything to make this place pleasing. It was nothing.

Minho shivered, wishing he’d be somewhere else right now.

They walked for a good hour in silence, no one saying anything. At least until Byeonghee seemed to get really uncomfortable. There was no denying in the fact that Hyunjin and Minho ignored each other as best as they could, their differences from almost a week ago still not anywhere near settled. While Jeongin subtly tried to stop Byeonghee with lingering gazes and a forced smile, his eyes skipping towards Minho and his Master with a very clear shake of his head, the Sin of Wrath just sighed and stopped in the middle of the way, causing Hyunjin to almost walk straight into him.  
«Okay, this is ridiculous«, Byeonghee said and turned around to stare at both, Minho and Hyunjin, «You two really need to talk things out.«  
Hyunjin puffed out air in the most diva-like way, «Why should I? Are you my mom?«

«No«, Byeonghee said and stepped forward, his eyes glowing a deep red and Hyunjin (understandably) leaning back with a nervous swallow, «But I’m more powerful than you and I will not hesitate to throw you back to your mansion in the blink of an eye. Now fucking talk or I’ll rip you both apart.«

Minho hated to admit it – though he certainly didn’t show it in his unimpressed behaviour – but Byeonghee _could_ and definitely _would_ make them both burn to ashes. Especially if they would test him on it; his Sin wasn’t Wrath for no reason after all.  
With a final glare, Byeonghee nodded and grabbed Jeongin’s sleeve, walking ahead by a good twenty metres. It wasn’t like there were any trees to block their sight of him so Byeonghee probably could’ve ran forward for at least 200 metres and they still would’ve been able to follow them without any problems.

Hyunjin and Minho both continued to stay silent, walking slowly with a very clear distance between them; the Warlock of Pride stubbornly walking ahead.

If there was one thing Minho didn’t like – though, within the last two months it happened quite often – it was when Hyunjin was angry at him. He never liked it when he did something that wasn’t okay. Minho didn’t want to disappoint the people he loved. And it didn’t matter if that was Yerin or Hyunjin or Yeji or maybe even Seokjin.  
With a sigh, he mumbled a soft, «I’m sorry, Jinnie…«  
The sin slowed his pace down but only averted his eyes towards Minho when they were finally walking next to each other. «You were right. You were all through this two months. I should’ve been more careful; I should’ve listened to you. At first, I really tried. But with time passing, things happening and the situation and riddles getting thicker and thicker…I didn’t try anymore. I couldn’t.«

Hyunjin remained silent for a long time before finally sighing as well, «You don’t have to be sorry. We talked about this, Minho. It’s not your fault, it never was, and it’ll never be. I just…don’t want you to get hurt. Because you out of everyone should know the best that whatever it is…it’s not real.«  
It wasn’t real.  
It wasn’t real.  
It was not real.  
«Why the sudden apology?«, Hyunjin distracted Minho’s thoughts from wandering off into…dark places.  
The warlock shrugged, «I don’t know. I hate it when you’re angry at me.«  
A pleased laugh escaped Hyunjin’s lips, «I’d love to believe that, but I know it’s not entirely true. I was angry at you for almost two months straight. I’ll probably continue to be angry as long as you won’t fucking tell me why you ended up in prison. That didn’t stop you from keeping silent and ignoring my words though. So be honest with me.«

Of course, like so often, Hyunjin was right.  
Minho wasn’t lying, of course not; he _did_ hate it when his best friend was angry with him. But it wasn’t the entire truth and even if he tried to deny it, he knew he couldn’t.  
Not in front of Hyunjin anyway.  
«Because I’m restless. I’m so…jittery and nervous, I’m worried and I feel like crying and screaming and killing something at the same fucking time. I just…know that something will happen. I know that this was not a good idea. I just want to go back to him and stay by his side. Assure myself that he’s fine. That I don’t have to worry and protect him so that nothing will ever hurt him again in his entire freakin life«, Minho answered and swallowed the lump in his throat, «This isn’t normal. This isn’t…okay anymore. The second we disappeared through the portal, I felt empty. Distressed.«

Hyunjin looked at him with wary eyes, «Is it really that bad? Now that we’re actually here?«  
«Yes«, Minho answered within a second, staring into his best friend’s eyes with a serious expression. He exhaled a deep breath, his body shaking, «I’m literally two seconds away from forcing Jeongin to open a portal back home. Really. I’m freaking out inside.«  
«Then how is it when you’re going to sleep?«, Hyunjin asked and tilted his head.  
Minho knew that the following words wouldn’t please the Sin, «He…sleeps in my bed. For something like a month now…«  
A dull slap was directed onto the back of his head, Minho flinching slightly and avoiding Hyunjin’s totally pissed-off glare, «Are you totally insane?! Why would you do that?! How did you even convince him to sleep in your bedroom in the first place?!«  
«I didn’t!«, the warlock defended himself, «He found the secret pathway to my room! Which, I’d like to remind you, used to connect your bedroom with mine until you changed to your father’s room! Someday, he just fell asleep…and I couldn’t bring myself to wake him up!«

Hyunjin stared at him, «Wait, so you didn’t…ask him to stay?« – «No!«, Minho answered, knowing his cheeks turned a slight pink colour, «I wouldn’t dare, oh my god!«

Of course, in front of Jisung, Minho easily played the role of a cheeky, confident flirty man. But honestly, if the other would so much as flirt back for just a second, he’d get red all over his face within an instant. There was no denying that Jisung could be quite fiery and wasn’t always shy or unsure of himself. It was understandable though, that he didn’t really know how to act around warlock’s as powerful as Hyunjin and Byeonghee or wizard’s like Seokjin and Chanyeol.

«Isn’t that…weird though?«, the Sin of Pride questioned and frowned, «I never got to ask you but…doesn’t it feel like Jisung also kind of…wants those things? He wouldn’t stay in your room if he wouldn’t want to do so…right? He seems naïve and shy sometimes, but I don’t think that he actually is. He’s insecure, but not unconfident.«  
Now that he thought about it, Minho realized that he himself never questioned this. People usually didn’t really like him – there were a few exceptions, of course. But it had been quite weird from the start. Minho had felt attached to Jisung the second he got a glimpse of his face. Until now, he just fetched it off as the same weird sudden spark he had had with Hyunjin. But it wasn’t the same, honestly.  
Hyunjin never cuddled up to him at night. Hyunjin didn’t make his heart beat faster. And most importantly, Minho never lost control over his magic because of Hyunjin. Never.

He knew that Jisung was curious and noticed it; the way his eyes glowed at times they shouldn’t, how Minho couldn’t control his own emotions and thoughts.

But then, he shook his head, «If you’re thinking he’s immune against my nature, you’re wrong. I accidentally lured him in a few days ago. We almost kissed.«  
Minho didn’t know why he had said that so nonchalantly, talking to Hyunjin. The latter immediately whipped his head around, stopped walking and gaped at the warlock in total, utter disbelieve.  
«You did _what_?!«, he shouted.  
«We didn’t _actually_ kiss! Jisung got us out of the trance before it escalated-…«, Minho stopped mid-sentence. It only occurred to him now. They didn’t not kiss because he stopped luring Jisung in. It was because Jisung himself awakened from the trance before him. Minho realized that something wasn’t right. Something was certainly not right. It shouldn’t be like this. He looked at Hyunjin with a deep frown on his face, «Jinnie, I need to cut ties. Really, this isn’t good.«

Hyunjin barely nodded in agreement. «I’m afraid you’ll kill not only him, but also yourself if you don’t«, he said and they continued walking, silently ending the conversation, and finally keeping up with Byeonghee and Jeongin again.

\-----

Honestly, Minho didn’t know what the others expected to see once they finally reached the Castle of Darkness. It wasn’t like they had been able to witness any other glorious things during their thirteen hour walk through Vriston’s ugly, grey landscapes. Of course, there were signs of once existing small towns or ruins of long forgotten homes. But just like the rest of Vriston, the Castle of Ednera herself was nothing more but a shadow of its once luxurious, beautiful past.  
The castle used to be big – comparable to Ranera’s Alpha Centauri, even. Which was a huge deal but not surprising because Light and Darkness were the two most important elements in the circle of nature. Hence why Ranera couldn’t just kill Ednera but had to lock her away for eternity. Dark walls circled the big inner garden of the castle, once there to protect the holy goddess from any harm, now barely even standing anymore. The walls of the castle itself were just as dull and dark, dirt and black spots being seen on the few parts that were still standing, holes and broken apart facades showing the equally destroyed inside of the residence. Minho could see the dark-red walls, the dark-red carpets and destroyed silver decorations even from the outside.

He could hear Jeongin swallow slightly, «I can feel hellhounds. And the energy of the entrance to hell.«  
«Let’s do this«, Hyunjin said and stepped forward, followed by Byeonghee, Jeongin very obviously near his master and Minho being the last person in their small queue. They deliberately ignored the once beautifully decorated garden, heading straight towards the basement, just like Jeongin told them to. The spiral stairs downwards made Minho dizzy, feeling like he had been walking them down for his entire life, until they finally stepped past the last step and took a few seconds to get some (admittedly dusty) air into their system.  
Unlike the upper parts, the basement was still kind of okay. Still, Byeonghee warned them to be careful because he, quote, _«Wouldn’t appreciate being buried down here«_. At least he still had some humour left.

Jeongin lead them through the basement, though Minho was sure that no one actually needed him to show the way anymore. He could feel the dark magic of the entrance to hell, his magic reaching out of it naturally. As a warlock, even more so than a wizard would.

Ednera’s basement was a damn maze, build like she wanted to get lost herself down here. Though there were a couple of ways that couldn’t be used anymore due to the ground having a big hole or just things blocking the way, Jeongin somehow managed to lead them in front of a big, wooden door. It was closed and protected with holy runes, though Minho could see that they were wrongly spelled and drawn and therefore didn’t really fulfil their purpose. No wonder someone was able to summon hellhounds and they easily escaped that room, even as the dumbest creatures of hell.

They easily opened the door and trespassed the runes, eyes meeting the glorious entrance to hell. Of course, it wasn’t the one and only door to hell. It was a pathway from Ednera because half of her soul was born in hell.

The entrance to hell was actually barely a real door, more like a…picture. It was a painting of dark woods and dead grounds, bloody red sky, and nothing there but hopelessness. Now they all understood what Jisung meant with _‘No living being can enter hell’_. There was no way a living creature could easily step through a dimension door as complicated as that. Even with Byeonghee here, they would’ve been doomed to die if they had tried to open it with their pure bodies.

Dimensions were a difficult and extremely problematic matter. It was no problem travelling through space within the same timeline and the same dimension, like sorcerers and magical creatures did with their teleportation. But dimensions were a whole different story. You couldn’t just transfer yourself through another dimension because dimensions were always…moving. They were never in an exact position and didn’t have any exact coordinates.

With teleportation, you could easily travel from A to B; as long as you’ve been at the place at least once, nothing was going to stop you except inexperience.  
That didn’t work with dimensions though. Let’s say you’d want to travel to the fourth dimension and let’s suppose you imagined it to be heaven. It didn’t work like this. Even if you already were in heaven once, even if you travelled through the dimensions already and it used to be the fourth dimension back then – there was no way heaven would still be there. That’s why doors to dimensions existed.

They couldn’t be entered by living beings or creatures. Only the one’s that actually belonged there could enter. Everything that lived in this dimension and wanted to enter earth had to be summoned. That’s why hellhounds and demons couldn’t just evade earth, even with this simple pathway; as long as Ranera was alive, there was always something restricting the beings of other dimensions from entering this dimension. It was a rule the Goddess of Light created, and no one could change that.

Well, unless you were to be more powerful than Ranera.

Hyunjin sighed and turned around to look at the others, «Okay. So I think that Jeongin should stay here and watch out for our bodies. You said there are hellhounds around. Your magic is the most consistent and the oldest among us – you’re most likely to be able to fight them off the longest.«  
«And you can easily contact Namjoon, just in case the connection we have with him isn’t going to work for some reason«, Byeonghee added. The nine-tailed fox nodded shortly, and the three warlocks looked at each other before lying down on the floor. They decided that Jeongin would feed them each a single drop of Jisung’s Drop of Dusk into their mouth, so nothing would go to waste, and they wouldn’t spill anything.

The Drop of Dusk actually tasted like metal or simple gold – it was disgusting, honestly. Minho felt dizzy and thought he’d pass out – until the dizziness disappeared and he suddenly saw himself lying on the floor unconscious. So he actually did pass out; but his soul left his body just in time. It was a weird feeling, even though he knew that he wasn’t…really any different. Even weirder was the bare fact that his body was see-through. The only reason Jeongin probably saw them was that he used to be a dead soul as well.   
Or somehow still is.  
«I’m fifty percent sure that we’re going to die«, Minho said pessimistically after grabbing the Phial with the Potion from his unconscious body and earned an annoyed slap on the back of his head from Hyunjin. «We won’t die. Byeonghee needs to save the love of his life and you have to return to yours.«

The Sin of Wrath and Minho himself both stared at Hyunjin with equally pissed-off glares, surprisingly speaking at the same time, «He’s not the love of my life.«  
«Yeah sure, whatever«, Hyunjin said and turned around to face the entrance to hell, «You’ll better protect me because I’ll have to repay Seungmin for coating my favourite glasses in flour.«

All he got in return was a half-hearted, _«Protect your sorry ass yourself« _from Minho before all of them stepped through the painting.

\-----

The air was dry. Awfully dry, really. It felt disgusting and Minho could taste the ashes of fire on his tongue even though there was no fire in sight. Just like the painting they stepped through had promised, this part of hell was awfully dead, decorated with lonely trees and red dirt covering the floor. Or maybe, the dirt was just normal dirt and it looked red thanks to the sky covered by red clouds. Minho didn’t know. And he also didn’t care.  
An annoyed huff made him turn his head, dusting his hands off on his black leather pants – for some reason, he’d landed on his butt. Hyunjin was eyeing his own black pants, now covered with red dirt (it was actually red), a displeased grunt leaving his plump lips, «Unbelievable! My favourite pants! My shoes! Getting those stains out of them is going to be hell!«

_«No, you’re_ in_ hell. Stop being a diva«_, they all heard Namjoon’s voice in their mind and even though Minho knew that the Wizard wasn’t anywhere near them, he looked around as if Namjoon would be standing next to them, _«I’m glad the entrance went smoothly. Now comes the hard part.«  
_«Excuse me, I’m _not_ a diva!«, Hyunjin exclaimed and stopped his arrogant behaviour upon meeting Byeonghee’s annoyed glare. Minho tried to stiffen his laughter – it was just Hyunjin’s nature and a really bad after effect of his sin. Being the Warlock of Pride made him seem more arrogant than he actually was. Though, even before he got chosen by Kritix, he had had a small bitchy attitude from time to time. He was never good at controlling his inner Sin, nonetheless.  
_«Now, concentrate. The painting should’ve dropped you on a pathway. Don’t ever get off that pathway, do you hear me«_, Namjoon said and only continued once they all voiced their agreement, _«I can’t really tell you where you have to go since obviously, I don’t have a map of hell. But I advise you to stay out of reach, don’t attack demons if they’re not attacking you and most importantly; no matter who you’re seeing or what’s happening, _ignore it. _You’re not actually dead, even though it’ll seem like this to the demons and hellhounds. If something would happen to your souls, you’d be dead for sure. And if anything happens or someone is in too much danger; get the hell out of there.«_

Namjoon’s voice was strict and serious and they all promised him to follow his advice. He told them that speaking to them through a whole different dimension was straining and he wouldn’t be able to help them right away. So he bit them farewell for now and wished them luck.

Walking around in hell was even worse than walking around in Vriston. Minho didn’t know why it surprised him, actually. It was draining. But he could see that Hyunjin got it worse. There was nothing here that was close to his affinity of nature, while Byeonghee seemed to be just fine walking around with his tight clothes and jacket. No wonder, as the Warlock of Fire, he probably didn’t feel heat or even warmth. Minho was somewhere in the middle, though he guessed that Hyunjin’s constant whining was once again another effect of his inner Sin. He simply couldn’t stand dirt, heat, sweat and uncomfortable things.

Granted, Minho should’ve guessed that hell was going to be a hot trip and leather pants and tight black shirts probably weren’t the best attire for it. Then again, it was icy in Vriston and Ifith in general. <strike>And Jisung’s obvious stares towards his legs were absolutely and totally worth it.</strike>

After some time – Minho really couldn’t tell for how long they were already walking – the landscapes started to change, sky still red but the air turned thicker and hotter. They turned a corner and walked past a really weird mountain (or something like that), meeting the sight of a big hole in the middle of the mountain, circled by its walls and the hole itself hot and painfully filled with fire, fire and more fire.  
Almost like the worst joke ever, there was a slightly burning sign next to the pathway saying _‘Hell Fire’_. Seokjin would’ve definitely loved that.   
«Is this…«, Hyunjin murmured and swallowed, «Where the lost and tainted souls end up?«  
Byeonghee solemnly nodded and Minho decided to not comment anything.

They walked past it – from time to time cringing at the sound of people screaming for help and hands reaching out to them as if they could actually help those dead souls. Minho didn’t know what they did to deserve this. But he honestly didn’t want to know, and pity was hard for him.  
If you did something as bad as to deserve burning in here, you should at least have the guts to face your destiny.

They managed to walk past the _Hell Fire_ without any problems. Their path continued to be quite slender and at some point, they had to walk behind each other, the walls on both sides too near to keep walking next to each other.

When the path finally got wider again, Minho almost wanted to breath out in utter relieve. His breath got stuck in his throat though when he heard a soft voice calling. It was barely audible, really, he wondered how he even heard it in the first place.  
But he did. And the only reason he stopped was because of _what_ the voice said. It was faint and Minho at first thought he’d imagined it. But as he concentrated more on his surroundings and listened more precisely, he understood it; the soft, woman’s voice clearly called for Jisung.

Every logical thought left Minho’s mind as he stared into the nothingness of the landscapes, fog covering his sight and surroundings. He didn’t even know if his friends were still near him, didn’t care either. Not anyways when he saw a woman stepping out of the shadows.   
Her sight was…heart-breaking, to be quite honest; she had dark-brown hair, pale skin, and beautiful, light-brown eyes – a contrast to her dark hair but somehow still fitting. Minho instantly recognized the chubby cheeks, the round eyes, and the full lips; this woman was Jisung’s mother.

He barely remembered what happened to her. Jisung never really, _actually_ talked about it. The only thing he knew was that she used to be a magic potion expert herself, just like all the other’s though unfairly treated and discriminated by the government out of unreasonable fear of the unknown. As far as Minho remembered, the government executed her. Jisung though never told him why.  
The prominent, angry red marks surrounding her throat were indicating that this, indeed, was nothing but the soul of a long-lost person.

The rational part of Minho’s brain knew that _this_ wasn’t Jisung’s mother. Why would she be here, suffering like this? The way she fell onto her knees in front of Minho, her fingers digging into the sand and her face stained with bloody tears made the warlock swallow thickly.  
_This wasn’t real._  
And yet, he couldn’t help but feel…pity.  
**_«My baby…«_**, she whispered, and a heart-breaking sob left her lips. Minho wanted to look away, continue walking and ignore her; just like Namjoon had advised them to. But he couldn’t. He just _couldn’t_. She continued talking, **_«My sweet, sweet child…he’s all alone. Alone…«_**

Silence followed, in which Minho simply stared at her with unsure eyes, her sobs the only thing resonating through the quiet, **_«He had to see me dying. He saw everything. He’s such a pure, innocent child. He’s my baby…«_**  
It was obvious that this…_thing_ (whatever it was), was talking about Jisung. It was creepy.  
And yet, Minho couldn’t help but crouch down and look at her solemnly, «He’s…stronger than you might think…«  
Seriously, he didn’t know why he tried to comfort her. Minho seemed to be on autopilot. His body acted against his better judgement, an arm reaching out to comfort the crying, stuttering mother with pure pity and love. But before his hand trespassed the border between the pathway and the landscapes, something abruptly pulled him away and a sharp pain across his cheek made him gasp and blink his eyes rapidly.

It felt like waking up.

He stared into Hyunjin’s shocked eyes, «_What_ are you doing?!«  
«There…I-…«, Minho was confused, still kind of drowsy from whatever just happened. He turned his head towards where Jisung’s mother was – or used to be. Now though, the only thing he saw was a big, ugly demon, its skin scattered with holes and shining within the red, dull light of hell. It growled deeply and retreated upon realizing that he didn’t get his meal; Minho, in this case.

That’s why Namjoon told them to not freaking leave the pathway. Not even with a foot.  
Or a finger.  
«I swear that I saw Jisung’s mother«, Minho said and stood up with Hyunjin’s help, rubbing his certainly now red cheeks, «And who the fuck told you it’s okay to slap me?!«  
«I wouldn’t have to do so if you wouldn’t see things that aren’t there!«, Hyunjin said and gained a slap from Byeonghee himself. The warlock sighed and shook his head, pointing towards the demon who was now a good mile away from them, «I have no doubt you saw what you think you saw. But _we_ didn’t see it. This was an Olvoth; a Demon of Illusion. Middle class demons and extremely dangerous despite their low magic. They invade your memories and thoughts and create an accurate duplication of people you loved, lost, or somehow have some sort of…emotions for. I guess your weird connection to Jisung somehow lured him into creating something that would make you freak out.«

Minho felt his cheeks getting red and cleared his voice, «W-Well…I didn’t freak out. Thanks for…coming back for me.«  
«You owe me big time«, Hyunjin said and earned yet another slap on the back of his head, this time from Minho himself.

Honestly, after walking for what felt like another set of three hours, Minho finally started to realize that they actually had no idea if they were even walking towards the right direction. It wasn’t like they had many possibilities; throughout their whole journey so far, there were no crossroads yet. They could either follow the path in that direction or the other. What really started to worry him the most was how their surroundings changed more and more; the landscapes got darker, the sky turned black and the ground was barely visible anymore, Byeonghee having to create a fire to illuminate the pathway for them and all of them walking straight next to each other as to not step past the pathway at any second.

Minho though knew that they were right. Not only because of how their surroundings changed – no, he heard _them_. He heard the hellhounds growling at them, he could sense their stares and their obvious displeased howls because they couldn’t step onto the pathway. And even more so he knew that they were right when the pathway suddenly ended, just like that, and they stood in front of a big, dark cave.

No, Minho certainly didn’t like that at all.

«…I hate to say this, but it seems like we found what we were looking for«, Byeonghee mumbled and made his fire a little bit taller, trying to illuminate the insides of the cave – to no avail, obviously. It was like the cave absorbed light.  
Hyunjin swallowed, «Namjoon told us not to leave the pathway. Should we try to reach him through our mind-link?«  
«I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t sound like a good plan to just invade this cave and rescue some people without even knowing if they are still alive«, Minho argued, and the others agreed with solemn nods.

Byeonghee closed his eyes and opened his mind, Minho was able to see his thoughts in his own head as if he’d talked to him. They needed a few minutes but after some really hard concentration-time, Byeonghee seemed to finally reach Namjoon and they could hear the man in their minds as if he were really, actually standing right next to them, _«What’s going on?«_

«We found the cave of the hellhounds. But the pathway doesn’t lead into it«, Byeonghee briefly explained. Namjoon remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly thinking about what they should do. Or at least, it seemed like that. He sighed finally and said, _«You three are seriously dumb, right? I told you not to leave the pathway, that’s true. But aren’t you all experiences warlocks? Didn’t you drink the Drop of Dusk for a reason? Of course the pathway won’t lead into a cave of hellhounds, they literally can’t stand on that pathway! Hellhounds are still dumb, even in hell! And luckily, they are territorial; meaning, they’re purposefully keeping away anyone trying to invade their cave. No higher demon cares enough about them to attack you in their cave and obviously, those hounds are no match for you! Get the hell in there and use your freaking brain before calling out for me!«_

And just like that, the connection was gone.

The three of them stood there, totally perplexed for a few seconds, staring at the flame in Byeonghee’s hand in utter disbelieve.  
Hyunjin huffed an offended breath, «I-…I am _not_ dumb.«  
«He called _all of us_ dumb«, Byeonghee deadpanned and Minho added, «We _are_ dumb.«

They prepared themselves for fights and talked about how they wanted to do this; get inside, look for the people missing, get the hell out of there.

Pun, _again_, not intended.

And the very second Minho stepped a foot onto the landscapes and away from the pathway, he could hear Ednera’s voice ringing in his head in form of a dull, shocked scream.  
He stopped.

But forced himself to keep going; _Jisung was fine_. Ednera was probably just commenting on something again.

That’s all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nooww didn't I tell you?  
It was the first time in 15 chapters that we read something out of Minho's view! I think that's pretty exciting uwu  
You guys read a lot of interesting and important things. I never actually went into any details but I'm sure the theory maniacs under you will love to think about everything...  
What is going on? What will happen with Minho and the others? Will they be able to save everyone...or will they end up dying in hell?  
Was Ednera really just reacting...or did something happen to Jisung? :)  
Welllll I guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out :D
> 
> You should be prepared because with our main protagonists split apart, shit is finally about to go down for the first time :3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and remember, any sort of comment - either long or short - is welcome. I try to answer to any comment, even if it'll sometimes take some time xD  
Stay healthy uwu <33


	16. brew of intuition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyeeee, here's the new chapter for you guys uwuwuwu  
I'm sure you'll like it...more or less I guess xD it doesn't seem that exciting but it's very important!  
Have fuun~

**Brew of intuition;  
You may or may not have noticed that the potion names can actually have different names than simply _‘name potion’_. Congratulations on keeping up so far as to get to the good stuff. Because if there is one potion in this book that’s actually useful, it’s the brew of intuition. Intuition is one of the most important things a sorcerer – and also a human! – should have. People tend to have different and individual intuitions. Some worse than others – well, if you happen to need some more intuition, feel free to mix this potion and let its effect work on you; you’ll see, you’ll be able to get through the day way more smoothly than ever before.  
Please be mindful that regardless of how good this may work, don’t drink it too much…we don’t want anyone to get addicted to anything…**

It was the first time ever since Jisung was here that neither Minho, nor Jeongin or Hyunjin were anywhere near him. Not like it bothered him that much. But It certainly wasn’t something he was used to, even though Jisung used to live all by himself for the majority of his life.

As soon as Group Hell (that damn name) left through the portal, Jisung felt…dread. And as the day went on and they prepared their own journey, he started to feel…restless. Again.  
Even though everyone seemed to notice his weird behaviour and jittery body, no one really said anything; at least until Seungmin finally turned around and stared at his best friend with the most annoyed expression Jisung had ever seen on his face, «Okay, what the freaking fuck is going on with you? Stop…doing that!«  
«Doing what?!«, Jisung asked, knowing that the question was totally dumb. Seungmin glared and made big motions with his hands, pointing at literally Jisung’s whole self, «That! You’re constantly walking around, biting either your lip or nails and you can’t stand still! I get that you miss your boyfriend but please, stop! You’re making me nervous!«

Jisung’s brain shortcut and stopped working for a few seconds.

Boyfriend.  
The hell no.

«H-He’s not my boyfriend!«, Jisung said and slapped Jin for smirking knowingly next to him. He didn’t see it, but he had heard the snort and he could feel how his eyes stared through his skull in the most knowing way. Even though there was nothing to know.   
Nothing.  
«I don’t…miss him either!«, he continued and sighed weirdly exhausted – this conversation was tiresome for some really weird reason, «I just…I don’t know how to explain this. It feels like…like this was a mistake? I know that he shouldn’t have gone without me.«

Chanyeol stepped inside the room, Aurora – his loyal phoenix – calmly sitting on his broad shoulder and the wizard himself carrying a box inside, which he placed on the table between them. They currently packed their bags for their journey to Atror.  
«Do you really think that you could’ve helped any of them? You would’ve been in the way«, Chanyeol argued and looked at Jisung in a weirdly comforting way; it almost seemed like he knew exactly what Jisung was going through.  
And yet, the magic potion expert barely knew it himself.  
He shook his head, «I know, that’s not the point. I just…it’s more like I need him near me? I feel restless because I have this weird feeling in my gut. Like something will happen.«  
«Stop saying such things«, Seungmin frowned, «I don’t like your gut feelings, they’re creepily specific…«

«Right?! I know! I know, that’s why I’m so…restless! What if…«, Jisung needed to take a short breath for what he was about to share; literally everything he thought about for almost six hours, «…what if they somehow loose their Drop of Dusk? No one will be able to get them out of there that easily! What if they get attacked? What if we get attacked? What if something really weird happens again? What if Seungmin suddenly transforms into a god? What if my weird gut feeling should be trusted and we shouldn’t, under no circumstances, enter Atror?«

There was silence between all of them, for a few seconds, no one said anything. Until Seokjin loudly snorted again, «Sorry. I really didn’t mean to laugh but…you’re being ridiculous, sweetheart.«  
«There’s no way all of those things can actually happen«, Chanyeol clarified and glanced at Seungmin with a pointed look, «Especially the part about this kid here turning into a god.«  
Seungmin glared at Chanyeol for calling him a kid, while Namjoon – who seemed to just so enter the room – said, «The most important question though is; what do you think could happen in Atror? There must be a reason for your weird gut feeling.«

Jisung stared at the wizard with puckered brows. Honestly spoken, he had to admit; he had no idea. He never actually knew what kind of problem or danger was lurking behind his gut feeling. He just…knew something wasn’t right. Something would happen. And something always happened. Not once did his gut betray him.  
His gut feeling was always right.

But he simply couldn’t answer Namjoon.

\-----

To be quite honest, Jisung had no idea about how big the world really was. He could imagine, of course, like most other inhabitants of Ifith. But nothing could’ve prepared him for Atror; the biggest city in Ifith, the hometown of Ranera herself and the place where everything was possible. Chanyeol’s mansion or Hyunjin’s manor were absolutely _nothing_ compared to Ranera’s castle, Alpha Centauri. It was ridiculous, really, how one big city counted as a country even though there were kingdoms ten times bigger. And yet, if continents could have a capital, the capital of Ifith would be Atror.

From the outside, Atror almost looked like one castle transformed into a city. But of course, that wasn’t all of it. Atror was said to be a cultural and historical relict in itself, walls building the borders between the four main parts of the city; the sorcerer’s district, the magical creature’s district, and the human’s district. Fourth and last district was the middle of Atror, the one and only thing that actually made it look as glorious as it was; Alpha Centauri. Ranera’s home was named after the brightest star in the sky, its whole beauty build over centuries no one but the goddess herself can remember, the goldish-rosy colours perfectly playing around with whatever light hit it and the almost white walls of it seemingly shining by itself. And yet, even though they were standing at least two miles away from the city borders and even though you could clearly see how massive Atror was, Jisung saw absolutely no details.

He forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat, «T-This is…the capital?«  
«Absolutely«, Seokjin said and pointed onto their path towards the city. They had been travelling for almost a whole day. According to Namjoon, you couldn’t just enter Atror through space or teleport yourself into the city. The next destination that held a teleportation stop was a smaller city approximately thirty miles away from the capital and most people had to travel through this point if they had business to deal with in Atror. Usually, sorcerers could easily teleport themselves everywhere, but that didn’t work with Atror – it’s natural magic disturbed space and power, which was why you couldn’t just appear in front of its gates.

Hence why Namjoon had send them to this city, from which they got kindly picked up by some traveller who had a carriage and took them with him until he had to go into another direction. The traveller just dropped them off at the border of the forest they had been riding through, waving them goodbye and disappearing towards the east.

They started walking towards Atror, preparing to trespass the border, leaving Zodrium behind and entering the capital.  
Never in Jisung’s life had someone been so thorough in checking his bags. The guards of Atror were really persistent and while Jisung could hear Ednera chuckle in his head, he sighed and slapped a guards hand away when he seriously wanted to open his pants for him.  
Pouting (and ignoring Ednera), Jisung had finally stepped away from the touchy guards and joined his group on the other side of the border. They were in front of the city’s special protection shield, a shield you simply could not trespass if the person controlling the travellers didn’t allow it. Unless you wanted to get grilled, of course.  
«Security is important, but I don’t get why they wanted me to take my pants off«, Jisung complained and earned puzzled looks from the others. Seokjin frowned and tilted his head, «They wanted you to take off your pants? That’s weird, they should’ve been satisfied with checking your bags and strobe your body.«

While Jisung tried to comprehend the words, Seungmin full-on started fuming and pushed his glasses up, taking a full step towards the security section Jisung just came from, «Those perverts! I’ll teach them a lesson-…!« - «No you don’t«, Chanyeol interrupted him, by grabbing the young priest’s collar from behind and holding him by his side. «We want to get _inside_ Atror, not kicked out.«

Jisung honestly almost forgot about the incident because Seungmin was hard to calm down and Chanyeol was stubbornly persistent. In the end, the priest settled with sending the guards a pointed glare and scoffing in their direction, which earned him a confused and puzzled expression in return.   
It was almost too funny to stay mad.

When they entered Atror – finally –, trespassing the shields and blinking the funny feeling of magic flowing through their body away, Jisung felt like he was in another world. He didn’t know what he had expected of Atror – but he couldn’t imagine living here, to be honest.

There were people everywhere; the streets were cobbled and buzzing with people; the houses were beautifully decorated with all kinds of flower pots. The inhabitants were doing what they were seemingly doing every day; some were doing their laundry on the balconies, some sold their products on small stalls standing decently on the side; others were walking around, buying things or trying to get to their respective destination; some certainly just tried to enjoy the nice weather. It was still pretty warm for early autumn after all.  
What caught Jisung’s eyes first were the decorations; festoons in all kinds of colours and the official flag of Atror hung up. There was obviously something going on.

While he was still busy staring at literally everything and trying to memorize the details of…well, also _everything_, Seokjin had softly started dragging him with him, Chanyeol securely holding a still scoffing Seungmin’s wrist and dragging him rather harshly.   
They were a strange pair for sure.  
«You seem to like it«, Seokjin observed and smiled calmly. The magic potion expert nodded slowly.  
«I’m not sure…it’s pretty? But I’m not sure if I actually, _really_, like it yet.«

A hearty laugh escaped the Wizard’s lips, «You’ll get used to the commotion. That’s just city life I guess.«  
«It seems like there’s a festival«, Seungmin joined the conversation, yanking his wrist free from Chanyeol’s grip with an annoyed, _«I can walk on my own«_.

Chanyeol scoffed and folded his arms, «The autumn festival; it’s held to welcome the arrival of the cold.«  
Jisung had heard of that festival – it wasn’t like he had always wanted to attend it (he didn’t really like commotion), but growing up in a boring town with barely a thousand inhabitants left him no choice but to read a guidebook about Ifith’s greatest cities and sightseeing. The autumn festival had been mentioned in the chapter _‘Atror’_. A frown set itself on his face as he started remembering the page and what he had read, «I’m sure that the festival was originally to celebrate Goddess Edner-…hmpf?!«  
Out of nowhere, Seokjin had stuffed Jisung’s mouth with a (still warm) bread and a tense smile on his face. He paid the lady for the bread and leaned down to Jisung’s ear innocently, «You should not talk about a punished goddess in the capital of all places, Sungie…«

Swallowing the bite he had to take from the bread, he nodded slowly and then turned to the lady who made it with a thumbs up and a bright smile. She smiled back and they then continued walking through the busy streets of Atror.

The second thing Jisung had noticed? The guards, standing everywhere and watching everyone’s step like someone’s life was in danger.

There was really something going on. More than just a simple festival, as it seemed.

\-----

Reaching the castle had took them more than just an hour. No – the whole day.

Sometime during their walk through the city, Chanyeol and Seokjin had started arguing about whether or not they were walking towards the right direction. Their discussion had even caused people staring at them weirdly and someone informing a guard that _‘two wizards were about to chop each other’s heads off’_. Jisung had started a bet with Seungmin, who’d win a fight and definitely said Chanyeol – to which Seungmin for some reason had highly disagreed. And so – while the guard had started trying to keep Chanyeol and Seokjin away from each other – Jisung and Seungmin themselves had started discussing and shouting at each other.

The guard had been so lost upon realizing that both discussions were just dumb, that he had eventually sat down on the ground and waited for someone to stop already. After what seemed like forever (thirty-two minutes, to be exact), Seokjin had finally made a big movement with his arms, shouting a clear «Stop!« and making all of them shut up immediately. With one last look towards Chanyeol, he had said that the latter would get lost in his own mansion and therefore had no idea about Atror either.

So in the end, they followed Seokjin and Seungmin and Jisung had started a new bet – whether or not Seokjin was right or wrong.

After exactly five hours of walking around cluelessly, Chanyeol had finally stopped with an annoyed huff and pointed an accusing finger towards Seokjin while shouting, «You are lost! You have no idea where the hell we are!«  
So while they had started bickering again, Jisung had held out a hand to Seungmin, who – grudgingly and not without cursing words you’d not expect a priest to know – slammed five goldens into Jisung’s open palm.

Now, at 6pm, they finally stood in front of the gates to the castle – though, the guards did not allow them inside because the day was over, and they ordered them to come back tomorrow.

They had had no choice but to follow and look for an inn or something to spend the night in – all while Chanyeol complained about how Seokjin should’ve just let him lead the way and if he would’ve done so, they wouldn’t have to waste money for an inn now.

It was truly funny, even though Jisung’s feet hurt from walking around a buzzing city all day long. He had to admit, even though he had been excited about Atror, that he had seen the people and the city itself for a day.   
Definitely.

On their search for a proper inn to stay in that actually still had a room free, the tension between all of them had started to get worse and worse. Seungmin was overall a rather moody person, especially when he was hungry, tired or just didn’t have the greatest day. Seokjin and Chanyeol were still whisper-shouting assaults and curses towards each other, ignoring the puzzled expression they got from the people still walking around. And Jisung…  
Well, maybe it was just everything a little bit.  
Waking up really early, travelling half of the day, walking around on busy streets, being surrounded by people all the time – Jisung liked people and liked spending time with them but if you grew up in a small town, Atror was just…overwhelming. They had had certain festivals and town celebrations, of course they did, even in Orlon. He himself had organized birthday, Christmas and new years eve parties in his old pub just to gain more money and for the fun of it. He thought he was used to big commotion, people shouting, running around and wanting something from everyone at the same time. He should be, after all – Jisung grew up to be the host of a pub. Yet, it wasn’t the same as Atror. A city with almost 700’000 inhabitants.

Jisung couldn’t believe that he had only seen the wizard’s district of the city – just to reach the castle, they had had to walk almost eight hours (well, adding Seokjin being lost). Nonetheless, it was tiring and definitely exhausting. Jisung had seen a lot of things and therefore unintentionally memorized a lot of things, adding onto the from tiredness pounding headache he had since they arrived at the castle.

And, to top it all off, he was kind of…worried. He wondered how the other’s were doing in hell. If they had already reached the Castle of Darkness. If they were alright. If they had been attacked or everything went smoothly. Not knowing what some of his friends were doing right now, while they were on their way to hell, literally…it didn’t feel nice. Jisung generally cared too much sometimes. One of many reasons why he didn’t really have other friends than Seungmin before meeting Minho and the others.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a split second too long, trying to get rid of his headache. While doing so, he accidentally bumped someone’s shoulder and almost went flying to the ground, if it wouldn’t have been for that person’s fast reactions. A strong hand had gripped his arm and steadied his balance, a deep voice saying, «I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.«  
Jisung blinked. He knew that voice. He knew it for sure. But who the hell should he know personally in Atror? He had never been in Atror, not once in his life. His thoughts stopped running immediately. He hadn’t been in Atror, no. But someone from Atror had been in Orlon. The magic potion expert whipped his head around so fast, that he felt some muscles cracking against the sudden movement and his eyes widened upon recognizing a familiar face; slim, dark eyes, pointy nose, high cheekbones and an almost consistent frown.  
«Im Jaebeom?!«, he said and stared at the guard in utter disbelieve.

He had thought that he was dead. But well, technically, Jinyoung wasn’t dead either. Yet.

The guard stared and blinked confused before letting go of Jisung’s arm with a frown. He seemed to think how they knew each other, before snapping his fingers and saying with a calm but rather surprised voice, «Oh! I remember those cheeks! You’re that host from the pub in Orlon! You survived!«  
Jisung internally groaned upon realizing that, once again, his cheeks had been the one thing someone recognized, nodded feverishly though, «Yes! I thought you died!«  
«I thought _you_ died!«, Jaebeom answered and for some reason, it felt like they were bonding. Really weirdly.  
He honestly almost forgot about his three friends until Seokjin stepped next to Jisung and stared at Jaebeom with a sceptical look in his eyes, «I would’ve never thought that you, out of all the people, know someone from Atror.«  
«Excuse me?«, Jisung said and glared at Jin, «What’s _that_ supposed to mean?!«  
Jin looked at him with a bored expression and shrugged nonchalantly, «It means that I thought you are a country bumpkin and know nothing but green fields, wooden houses and cheap beer.«

«To your information, I sold the best wine all over Enos in my pub! And I’m definitely _not_ a country bumpkin!«, Jisung defended himself with a pout and huffed annoyed.  
«Besides, you grew up on a farm in Ospal yourself«, Chanyeol added and earned a slap on the back of his head from Seokjin.

Jaebeom suddenly gasped and pointed at Chanyeol, «Wait! You’re the Commandment of Truth and Wizard of Fire, Park Chanyeol! I saw you in the castle about four months ago!«  
Chanyeol blinked and stared at Jaebeom, while the guard bowed and kicked his friend beside him. Jisung didn’t even notice the other man standing there until now. Jisung didn’t know the other guy and frowned upon realizing that Youngjae wasn’t here.  
Did Jaebeom know about what had happened to Jinyoung? Was Youngjae also kidnapped by a hellhound? Or maybe even worse; was he dead?

Chanyeol’s nervous and absolutely humble laugh made everyone snap out of their awkwardly silent behaviour and both, Jaebeom and his friend, stood up straight again as soon as Chanyeol asked them to stop being so polite. Humble as always.  
«You don’t happen to know a place where we could spend the night in…right?«, Seokjin asked and raised an eyebrow at the guards.  
The other guy frowned, «Why can’t you just go into one of your rooms in the castle?«  
«We tried, but the guards send us away«, Chanyeol answered, while Seungmin and Jisung were just staring at the two Commandments. Seungmin stepped forward and glared into Seokjin’s usual, arrogant and way too amused face, «You have rooms in the castle and didn’t tell us about that earlier?!«  
«Well, to be exact«, Jaebeom interrupted them and pointed towards Chanyeol, «The Ten Commandments have a room in the castle. But they’re each big enough to fit all of you inside.«  
Seokjin laughed amused, «Sweetie, I am a Commandment too.«  
Now it was the guard’s turn to stare dumbfounded. They both stared at Jin for a few seconds, trying to find out who the hell he was. But how would they know, apart from sensing his immense magical power?

Jin smiled (totally not as humble as Chanyeol), «Kim Seokjin, Commandment of Purity and Wizard of Healing. It’s a pleasure to meet you.«  
While the unknown guard bowed immediately, Jaebeom stared at Jin and then at Jisung, his eyes a mixture of confusion and shock, «How do you know two of the Ten Commandments?«

Jisung shrugged and smiled nervously. He wasn’t sure how exactly his life turned out as complicated either. And it’s not like he could just freely tell him about how a wanted warlock introduced him to the Sin of Pride and how somehow, one thing led to the next.  
«Life is strange, isn’t it?«, he chuckled nervously.

An awkward silence hung upon them and finally, Jaebeom offered to lead the way towards a hotel – since apparently, guards from their department didn’t have to pay for rooms. Jisung wanted to ask why they couldn’t just go into some room in the castle, but it seemed like Jaebeom didn’t want to talk about that and purposefully ignored the topic.

In the hotel, while Jin and Seungmin were highly discussing about which rooms they should take (ignoring the stressed out and nervously smiling receptionist), Jaebeom and his friend had started saying goodbye to Jisung for now. They said they were supposed to be on nightguard and had to get back to their job. Before they left, Jaebeom leaned forward slightly, a serious look on his face and something similar to worry evident in the depths of his eyes, «Be careful, young host. Things are going on in Atror.«  
«Things?«, Jisung asked and tilted his head slightly, «What kind of…things?«

Jaebeom seemed to hesitate – maybe he wasn’t even allowed to talk about these things. He pointed towards Jisung’s friends and said, «You guys want to get inside the castle, right? It could be very difficult. No one was allowed in the castle for almost three months.«  
A frown set itself on the magic potion expert’s face, «Why?«  
Jaebeom shrugged, «I don’t know. Like I said, there are things going on«, he turned around slightly, unsuspiciously pointing towards the entrance of the hotel and then to the magical elevator. There were guards everywhere, Jisung could clearly see their magical weapons and how secured they were dressed – almost as if they expected someone to attack any minute, «You must’ve noticed the guards all around the city. People are nervous and as you may or may not have heard, Ranera is quiet. After what happened in Enos, people are scared and restless. Maybe those guards are just here to prevent things or just for the sake of safety but…something’s going on.«

The guard finally stepped back and nodded his head shortly, «I’m sure of it. So be careful, no matter what you’re doing. And if you need anything, ask for me in the headquarters of my department.«  
They finally said goodnight to each other and the guards left the hotel, leaving a still bickering Seokjin and Seungmin, a tiredly half asleep Chanyeol and a distressed, confused Jisung…

\-----

Almost as if Jaebeom’s words cursed them, no guards allowed them to step inside the castle grounds even for a split second. After getting proper rest and a really annoying discussion about whether or not they should eat pancakes for breakfast or not (Jisung didn’t want to brag about anything, but the pancakes he made himself were a lot better), they immediately went to the castle (this time lead by Chanyeol). Though, as mentioned, the guards were not anywhere near friendly or open. Not even when Chanyeol told them about how he was a Commandment and that he wanted to talk to the headguard – they remained stubborn and after trying to talk their way into the castle for thirty minutes, the four of them retreated and sit down on a bench, some streets away from the castle.

While Seokjin was rubbing his temples in a totally stressed out manner (it kind of reminded Jisung of Hyunjin to be quite honest) and Chanyeol and Seungmin were playing a random game, the host himself sat on the ground and sighed, «What should we do now?«  
«We could try to break in, like in that novel you’ve gave me lately«, Seungmin said and Jisung made a mental note not to give Seungmin any thriller or mystery novels anymore.

Jin shook his head and turned to look at Chanyeol, «Contact Joon-…« - he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and shaking his head - «…I mean, Namjoon. Maybe he knows something.«  
A really displeased frown set itself on the Wizard’s face as he looked at Jin as well and answered, «Do I look like an owl to you? Do it yourself, it’s not like you can’t contact him.«  
«No, _I can’t_ contact him!«, Seokjin argued and Chanyeol huffed, «_Not wanting_ and _not being able to do so_ are two different things! Stop acting so childish already!«

«What do you know about how I feel and why I act like I do?!«, Jin said and stared at Chanyeol daringly. The Commandment of Truth huffed again, his eyes suddenly glowing ruby red and his magic spiking up for just a second, «I know more about everything that happened between you two than I either want or have to know. I’ve been there all the time, travelling back and forth between you two and trying to be a good friend to the both of you without taking sides or getting too involved and I never complained. It’s been years, Seokjin. It’s time to get the hell over it.«  
And with those words, Chanyeol stood up from the bench, his fists clenched and a really fast pace set. Jisung and Seungmin exchanged looks, the young priest nodded and went after Chanyeol in a hurry.

Great. Jisung was really bad at coaxing people and the fact that he knew zero to nothing about Seokjin’s and Namjoon’s relationship (or whatever is left of it) didn’t help at all. He cleared his throat and scooted over, so that he could look at Jin – didn’t dare to sit next to him though and therefore remained seated on the floor.  
A tired laugh escaped Jin’s lips – it sounded exhausted and sad, almost sarcastic, «I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Chanyeol in months and before we went to look for answers in his library, we weren’t really on…good terms.«  
Oh really. That would’ve been great to tell before the four of them went on a weird rescue Seungmin trip to Atror.  
Jisung remembered Seokjin’s behaviour when Hyunjin told them to go to the library. He had been against it and now, Jisung started to see why. He must’ve known that Namjoon would be there somehow and probably wasn’t ready to face him yet. Neither him, nor Chanyeol.

«He’s a good friend…Chanyeol, I mean«, Jisung said slowly and watched Jin nod with a small smile on his lips.  
«He’s always been. Ever since we were children, he was…there. We grew up together – me and Chanyeol. Were best friends. Who would’ve guessed that those two rebellious and carefree kids would turn out to hold parts of the key to heaven in their hands and communicate with the Goddess Ranera? My mom was both, excited and scared. When we met Namjoon, I was sixteen years old. Love is strange, you know. I knew I can’t love him. Not the way we both wanted to. I knew that our relationship had boundaries, from the very start. But we were young. He always refrained from getting too close. Namjoon knew…that the gods would punish us for it. Punish _me_. But he proposed…because I wanted him to do so. I don’t even know if he really wanted to marry me or just proposed because I cried about it all the time.«

Jisung swallowed. He felt like a son, having to listen to the relationship problems between his parents. And he was in no way a good example for knowing how to keep your parents together. Not like Jin and Namjoon were his parents. Or married to begin with. It was just hard for him to answer because he couldn’t relate. And it wasn’t like they just had some differences – as far as Jisung knew, the Commandments had to follow all ten rules of heaven. Purity was one of them and relationships weren’t exactly a good idea for them. What was pure? How do you define the line between acting lovely and acting greedy and lust-driven? Not dating or loving at all was a lot easier for the Ten Commandments than doing so and getting hurt either way.   
Though, leaving a friend alone in such a situation was against anything Jisung believed in and so, he decided to say _something_. Anything to help Jin feel better about himself. «I don’t think Namjoon only proposed because you begged him to do so. He’s not that kind of guy.«  
Jin looked at Jisung with a mixture of confusion and hopelessness, «How would _you_ know?«

He sighed and repositioned himself on the bench, «Don’t get me wrong Jisung-ie, you’re really cute. But you don’t know him. Or me. I can be difficult at times. Difficult to handle because I’m-…«  
«Stubborn? Self-centred? Sometimes a little bit over the top and seemingly narcistic?«, Jisung interrupted him and laughed amused, as Jin’s face transformed from confused, to shocked and offended within five seconds, «Believe me, I’ve noticed. I’m good at judging people, even if I’m a _country bumpkin_. But honestly, I don’t think you really see yourself as perfect as you keep on trying to tell others. I think that’s a just a wall you build up around your heart because you didn’t want others to see how deeply hurt you truly are.«

Seokjin seemed dumbfounded, his offended and slightly pissed-off glare slowly disappearing. He opened his mouth a few times to say something, never did so though. Jisung sighed and smiled at the Commandment, «I know I’m younger than you. And unlike you, I didn’t meet the love of my life when I was sixteen years old. But as far as I can see, Namjoon loved you. And given the fact that he, too, still wears the promise ring…I’d say, he never stopped doing so.«  
There was a long silence between the two of them, in which Jin simply stared at the magic potion expert without saying anything. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Jisung decided to not dwell on it and stand up instead, stretching his back and groaning when some muscles cracked free, «Now, I’ll contact Namjoon and you’ll go look for Seungmin and Chanyeol. They can’t be too far.«

Jin nodded slowly and stood up from the bench as well, walking towards where the other two were. He stopped shortly though and turned around to Jisung with a smile on his face, soft and – probably for the first time since they knew each other – truly _honest_, «Thank you, Jisung-ie. You’re not a bad friend yourself.«  
Jisung nodded slowly and then contacted Namjoon through the mind-link.

\-----

They’re situation was absolutely ridiculous.  
Jisung had thought of a lot of things in sleepless nights while staring blankly at the ceiling of his bedroom. It happened that he drifted off during the day and started thinking about _‘how would I act in this situation’._ He had imagined what he would’ve done if werewolves would’ve invaded the town. Given the fact that he was a magic potion expert, he had also imagined what he’d do if the government knew about it. How he’d die, what they would do to him, if he’d rather stay alive to suffer or get killed immediately for lying.

Though, not once in his entire life would he have thought, that they’d try to sneak inside the castle of Ranera. The one and only, highly guarded, big ass Alpha Centauri.

It was ridiculous indeed. And even more so when they got busted because Chanyeol had an allergic reaction to a flower in the garden and had to sneeze, which made him loose focus of his magic and set a plant on fire.

And now, they were carelessly thrown inside a cell of some guards quarters without anyone even wanting to listen to what they had to say.  
Seokjin complained loudly and Seungmin cursed Chanyeol for having an allergy, the three of them totally immersed into their discussion.

After Jisung had talked to Namjoon, the Commandment had told him to be blunt and try to ge the hell inside that castle, no matter what. Chanyeol and Seokjin both interpreted those words as _‘Sneak inside the castle’_, to which Seungmin had said, _«I told you we should do that_«.

Jisung was never fond of it and he knew that they would never make it, especially not with the tension between them and the lack of teamwork they had. They just didn’t function as a group and sneaking inside not just any castle, but Ranera’s highly guarded home wasn’t exactly the best first criminal attend for them.  
The magic potion expert was unsure if he should blame Namjoon for that stupid idea, Chanyeol for sneezing or all of them for being so damn uncooperative ever since they stepped foot inside this damn city.

Maybe he’ll just blame Minho for saving his sorry ass back in Orlon.

He blinked and looked up at the door, a mirror hanging next to it and clearly showing the reception of whatever department they were in. He narrowed his eyes and tried to read the reversed words, his brain slowly progressing it as _«Magical Security and Law Enforcement«._  
Jisung blinked and stood up suddenly, grabbing the bars and shouting for some guard to come talk to him. The guy who locked them in came up with a displeased grunt and raised an eyebrow, not even trying to hide how annoyed he was, «What do you want?«  
«Im Jaebeom. I want to talk to Im Jaebeom«, Jisung said and watched the guards face transform to pure confusion.  
«How do you know him? Are you his boyfriend?«, he said and Jisung frowned confused.

«What? No! What the hell, no, I’m not! Just-…could you please just call him or something?«, he answered, and the guard shrugged, «No, I can’t call him. He’s on duty. Are you sure you’re not his boyfriend? He didn’t want to tell anyone who it is for months and I’m getting upset with it.«

Jisung looked at him and sighed, «I’m not.«  
The guard shrugged and wanted to step back when suddenly, another voice interrupted them and made the guard jump slightly, «What’s going on here? Oh…aren’t you those guys from yesterday?«  
Jisung blinked and looked at the new guy, recognizing him as the guard that accompanied Jaebeom yesterday. In the daylight, he was even more beautiful. «Yes! Yes we’re those guys, could you please help us?«

Maybe it was Jisung’s desperate voice or maybe, that guy was just nice, but he shrugged and made a nonchalant hand movement, obviously ordering the other guard to open the cell.  
«B-But Bambam. They tried to get inside the castle without permission-…« - «I heard that the mighty Commandment sneezed, and they got busted. I doubt they truly want to hurt anyone and it’s not like they made it inside so let them out«, Bambam ordered and the guard finally followed his order, letting them out with a displeased grunt and mumbling about how Jaebeom would not like this.

Five minutes later, they all sat at a table in the back office, Bambam placing some cookies and tea on the table. Jisung was surprised they offered things like that in this office.  
«I’m sorry, we didn’t get to introduce each other yesterday. My name is Kunpimook Bhuwakul Bambam, but you can just call me Bambam since no one can actually say my full name anyways.«

Jisung was flashed by the smile he offered them even though he knew that they tried to get inside the castle without permission and he had to get them out against his orders. Really, how could his teeth shine like this?  
They introduced themselves – well, Seungmin and Jisung did, Bambam obviously knew the Commandments – and then explained to him why they tried to get inside the castle.

Bambam swallowed his coffee and raised an eyebrow, «You tried to get inside the castle because they didn’t allow you in? You’re funny. What could be important enough for you to try something as dumb as that?«  
«We need to talk to the Queen«, Seokjin said, simply avoiding having to talk about the full reason. Bambam wouldn’t judge them for the truth but Jisung agreed to the fact that not more people than necessary had to know about Seungmin being hit by a divine power and now randomly undergoing weird changes. It wasn’t exactly something everyone had to know.

A frown set itself on Bambam’s face, «I have to admit to you, that I can’t help you. I’m sure Jaebeom told you yesterday, but no one entered the castle within the last three months. Her majesty is as quiet as she had never been, and no one is allowed inside.«  
«Yeah, we already figured that much out«, Seokjin answered sarcastically and rolled his eyes, «I want to know; why?«  
Bambam shrugged nonchalantly, «If I’d knew that, we wouldn’t sit here, right?«

A strange silence spread across the rather small room, Seungmin anxiously biting his lip, while Chanyeol and Seokjin still didn’t dare to even look at each other.  
«So…«, Bambam interrupted the quiet after some time and cleared his throat, «Jisung. You met Jaebeom in Enos…? What were you doing in a town like Orlon?«  
Jisung could clearly hear that Jin inhaled sharply, probably thinking about how this was a rather sensitive topic. Though, Jisung ignored him and answered the guard shortly, «I lived there. Jaebeom, Youngjae and Jinyoung had asked me about a wanted warlock when I was about to close my pub. When…_it_ happened, we got separated. I thought they all died.«

He wasn’t sure if Bambam didn’t care or didn’t want to show that he was feeling pity for Jisung. While his face and voice remained straight though, his eyes held a deep sorrow as he answered after some time, «I’m sorry. It must’ve been hard for you…how about your family? Where are they?«  
Unlike Orlon – which, surprisingly, didn’t bother him that much – talking about his family sent a dull kind of pain through his body. Jisung could barely remember the last conversation he had had with his mother. That’s why it was even more confusing to him, that he still knew exactly what his father’s last words had been…before he just disappeared and then, probably, died.  
He pressed his lips to a thin line and avoided Bambam’s eyes as he answered shortly, «They both died long ago.«

If the silence was heavy before, it definitely was suffocating now.

Bambam clearly felt bad for asking the wrong questions all the time without even realizing, but also didn’t know what to say anymore. And Jisung’s now gloomy mood wasn’t really helping.   
He didn’t really know what exactly made him feel like this. It’s not like no one had ever asked him about his parents before. He looked up to observe the others. Seokjin was still deep in thoughts, probably thinking about his fight with Chanyeol and Namjoon and maybe also about what Jisung had talked to him about. The Wizard of Fire was currently spacing off, staring at nothing in particular and seemingly not even listening to them in the first place. Bambam was still obviously uncomfortable and didn’t really know what to say. While Seungmin…  
Seungmin just sat there, eyebrows furrowed and his eyes landing on Jisung just a second after he had looked at him.

They always had a weird connection, though nothing magical (they’ve checked it multiple times, though Jisung was convinced it was that blood-pact they had done back in fourth grade). Something in Seungmin’s eyes sparked up for just a second. A slight second, in which Jisung lost focus on everything around him. It felt like more than five minutes, but he knew that nothing, but a short moment passed. A short moment in which he suddenly felt like waking up.

Do you know that feeling when you wake up after a too long nap in the afternoon? Instead of feeling full of energy, you’re even more tired. That’s what he felt like right now. Like waking up after sleeping for too long. His body was tired for questionable reasons and suddenly, he felt like…like he was fully himself again.

The weird gloomy mood he had had earlier was gone, like it was never there to begin with. The memory of his dead parents and Orlon was still there, but nothing that ticked him off anymore. Seungmin stared at him for a long time, until Jisung suddenly swallowed and shook his head drastically, «What on earth was that?«  
«I knew it!«, Seungmin said and pointed at Jisung accusingly, «We were all acting so weird, all the time! And now, you started to slip as well!«

Slip? Jisung furrowed his eyebrows and recalled the last twenty-four hours. They had been so out of harmony, it was almost concerning. Nothing had worked out, they had had discussions over literally every little thing and the longer they tried to be considerate of each other, the gloomier they all got. Jisung looked over at Jin and Chanyeol and tried to gain their attention, though, both Commandments continued to stare ahead into the air.  
«Min-ie…something’s off here. Something’s off in this city«, he muttered slowly and watched Seungmin nod in agreement.

The young priest tried to talk to Bambam, but he, also, seemed to be in some sort of…trance. This was weird. This was really weird.

Now that Jisung was thinking about it, everyone in this city had been weird. The guards, the people…everyone has been acting extremely gloomy, unfriendly, and concerning. Jisung felt Seungmin kicking him under the table and glared at him, «What was that for?«  
«You’re the brain! Use it, you must’ve read something about this!«  
«About what exactly?!«, Jisung felt it before Seungmin even had to say something. How they got distracted from the actual topic by simply starting a conversation. They got angry at each other for no reason. Before Seungmin could even open his mouth, he held his hand up and shushed him quietly, using this time to think.

When did it start? Chanyeol and Seungmin had been acting kind of off ever since they entered Atror. Jisung’s head was basically fuming – Atror. Ever since they stepped foot inside the city, everyone had been acting weirder and weirder. Their harmony from earlier disappeared more and more and with every second they spend in Atror, they started to resent each other’s presence more and more. Jisung had started to hate everything about the city without even knowing why.  
There must be something about the city, something that had an impact on them.

Still ignoring Seungmin’s quiet glares (he wasn’t so sure anymore if the young priest really hadn’t been affected too), Jisung concentrated on the mind-link with Namjoon and tried to reach him. It took longer than before, way more energy than it should; he felt drained. Something drained them.   
_«What’s going on? Did you manage to sneak into the castle?«_, Namjoon said as soon as he got through. Jisung swallowed and shook his head, even though he knew that the former couldn’t see him, «No. We got caught. But Hyung, something’s off with Atror. I think we were in some kind of trance. And I’m not sure what got me out of it but there was a glint in Seungmin’s eyes, and then I was like…like myself again? For some reason, we were fighting all the time. And something’s…draining my energy from my body.«

He could hear Namjoon inhale sharply, _«Jisung-ie, where are you right now? You guys need to get out of the city right now. You need to get Seokjin out of there before he’ll get you.«_  
«He? What…«, he made a break to catch his breath, «…are you talking about?«, Jisung asked.

His vision got blurry and whatever Namjoon was saying slowly faded into nothing, he barely saw Jin, Chanyeol and Bambam falling unconscious like some dolls, Seungmin staring at him with a mixture of worry and horror as he felt more tired with every second passing.  
_«The chaos Jisung. It’s in Atror, you need to-…!«_, the magic potion expert didn’t hear the rest of Namjoon’s words. Instead, he felt a dull pain on his head, could feel something wet drippling out of his ears and once again, knew it was blood. He could faintly hear Seungmin’s voice, felt someone shaking him.

And the last thing he heard before everything went black again (seriously, he falls unconscious way too often) was Ednera’s voice ringing in his head in form of a dull, shocked scream, one name echoing through Jisung’s dreams like a mantra;

** _«Veteus…«_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh, who's Veteus...?  
What happens in Atror?  
Well, if they learned something, it's that Jisung's gut feelings are never a joke. There were some hidden mysteries again and I'm really curious as to what you guys think. You also got to hear something about Jin and Namjoon :O  
Interesting...isn't it? :D
> 
> Now, as always, thank you sooo much for reading and commenting and leaving Kudos and stuff like that. I really appreciate you guys and enjoy reading your thoughts and theories uwu  
Stay save and healthy! <3


	17. defence potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wanted to stay true to my 2-week-update rule but...  
I was so excited for this chapter and I couldn't wait any longer hfwnoqnfqowfnq
> 
> This chapter is full of information you guys need, though, it's kind of tricky to see. BUT it's important as hell and to top it all of, it's a chapter with Minho's POV
> 
> Also: with this chapter, we've surpassed 100'000 words! I'm kind of proud of that lmao
> 
> Now! Enjoy the chapter! uwu

**Defence potion;  
Being alert is human and something that happens intuitively. Some people are more careful than others. Though, especially in a world like Ifith, everyone wishes for some help with protection. The Defence Potion allows its user to be an expert at protection and defence. Once you swallowed the prescribed amount, you’ll be able to sense danger, defence yourself accordingly and stay on alert without acting freaky or paranoid. It calms you and at the same time pushes you to question your surroundings. Therefore, the Defence Potion is one of the drinks that can actually change your whole personality for at least a few hours.  
We recommend to not take it too often – we don’t want anyone to lose himself in the effect of the potion…**

There weren’t exactly things Minho would consider himself afraid of. Sure, given the fact he was human, he did feel fear and got scared from time to time. But if someone would ask him what his biggest fear was, he would’ve no idea what to say.  
And so, walking through this dark cave with nothing but growls and unseen hounds pacing around them, waiting for an opportunity to attack, and hurt them, neither scared nor bothered Minho. It was a damn good thing that physical logic didn’t apply to hell because they had been walking through this corridor for at least half an hour now without anything happening. It led them further and further down into the depths of hell as it seemed. Byeonghee’s flame, which was still flying in front of them as some sort of light source, would’ve extinguished by now in the real world. They probably wouldn’t even be able to breath anymore at this point. But of course, everything worked out in hell.

No rules, no restrictions…just hell.

They had been quiet ever since they left the path, too wary of the lurking hounds and danger around them. Though, it was no surprise to any of them when Hyunjin couldn’t deal with this anymore after some time, «I hate silence! Can we please talk about something, it’s not like everything happened or this damn corridor to the depths of hell will suddenly be a problem for us!«  
Byeonghee sighed, «You’re right, this is getting moody. We should think of what we’ll do once we found the people that had been dragged into this cave.«

«We’ll check their pulse, act accordingly and get the hell out of here«, Minho dismissed the topic, preferring the quiet from earlier to be honest.  
«Well, what if it won’t be as easy as that? And are we just going to leave them there if they’re already dead?«, Byeonghee answered and Minho clicked his tongue, «If you want to carry their lifeless bodies back to earthland I will not try to stop you.«

Hyunjin smacked Minho’s back of his head and huffed, «What’s gotten into you, why are you so moody?«  
«I just want to get the hell out of here as fast as possible«, he deadpanned and glared at Hyunjin for the smack he had gotten from him. Byeonghee turned around slightly (he was walking ahead of him and Hyunjin), «Why are you in such a hurry?«

To be quite honest, Minho didn’t know. Something was pushing his nerves and he felt extremely jittery. Not like he hadn’t ever since they left Hyunjin’s mansion. But now, after trespassing into obvious hellhound territorial and breathing in the scent of death more and more, with every step they took more into the cave, Minho just started to feel his anxiety spike up more and more. Not only that, but Ednera’s short gasp from earlier worried him. He tried to tell himself that everything was perfectly fine. Really fine. But when he tried to ask Ednera about it (he did talk to her without Jisung knowing about it from time to time), the Goddess didn’t answer him. He knew he should’ve stopped trying to reach her through his mind because she won’t answer, just like the time before now and when he tried five minutes ago. But he was restless, seemingly every pore on his body vibrating with worry and his thoughts were running up and down. He just knew that something happened and his weird seventh sense of feeling this made him even more sensitive than he already was.

So, no; Minho actually did not want to elaborate why he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible because Hyunjin would either make fun of or scold him for thinking about Jisung. _Again_.

And he didn’t have the nerves to deal with Hyunjin’s wigging.  
«I just…I don’t know«, he dismissed the topic and sighed when both of the Powerful Warlocks looked at him warily. They didn’t believe him at all but seemingly decided to leave it at that, sensing that Minho wasn’t in the mood to talk.

He knew that hell influenced them, especially since they were warlocks. A warlock’s magic has its roots in hell – it’s basically the only thing differentiating them from wizards. While a wizards magic was light-driven, a warlock’s magic had its source within the darkness. Nothing filtered the power that immediately shifted towards them and nothing would stop any of them to take advantage of this. Though, Ednera would probably notice that and wouldn’t be happy about three warlocks randomly absorbing more magic than their body usually does. And it’s dangerous, to say the least – because unfiltered magic, as dark and pure as it is in hell, does have its bad sides.  
Especially Hyunjin and Byeonghee would have to be careful, because they weren’t just any warlocks; they were two of the Seven Powerful Warlocks of Hell. They had demons inside of them that were born in hell and belonged to hell, demons that represented a Sin and couldn’t be stopped once they were to actually try and take over their bodies. Minho wasn’t too worried that any of them would lose control.

Better safe than sorry though.

He sighed again when finally, after another set of ten minutes, the narrow corridor they had been walking through for the last forty-five minutes started to get wider and straighter, opening the sight of a big, spacious cave. It was mostly empty, as Minho observed, apart from a few rocks and some really concerning holes in the ceiling.

Minho would’ve bet his left arm that a whole pack of hounds would circle and attack them as soon as they walked further into the wide cave; surprisingly though, nothing happened. They stood in the middle and immediately made out two additional corridors, Byeonghee hastily deciding that him and Hyunjin would go look where the two corridors would lead to while Minho was very content with staying here and waiting for them.  
Not without Byeonghee, telling him to _«Watch the freaking fuck out«_ because he didn’t want to _«Save his_ _sorry ass from any demons again«_ (those were quotes, Minho was slightly offended but dismissed Byeonghee’s nagging with a passive, _«Whatever you say, dad«_).

It had earned him a slap from Byeonghee, but it was totally worth it.

Waiting for his friends had felt like an eternity. After about five minutes, Byeonghee walked back inside with a disgusted and displeased grunt and covered with something Minho would rather not like to know, though it smelled a lot like something rotten. It wasn’t hard to guess that his corridor had led him to the pack’s food store, as it seemed. Byeonghee glared at Minho when he started giggling, once he realized that the warlock must’ve slipped into the cadaver.  
They decided to wait for Hyunjin for another ten minutes and then went after him, worrying that either something happened, or he found what they were looking for and got distracted. Unlike the path they had been walking through for almost an hour, this path was rather wide. With every step they took, Minho could feel the darkness and hatred more and more – whatever had been lurking around them earlier was nothing compared to what Byeonghee and him were walking into right now. They walked in crouched down, trying to be as quiet as possible and immediately spotted Hyunjin hiding behind a rock. «What took you guys so long?«, he whispered and if they wouldn’t have to be quiet, Minho would’ve finally had a reason to smack Hyunjin for once.   
He swallowed down a bitchy answer and instead focused on the much wider room in front of them. The problem wasn’t that there were many hounds, in fact, there were only about ten. No, the problem was that those ten hounds were still in cocoons. Which means that they were still puppies if you’d want to call those things that. Puppy hellhounds were extremely shitty to deal with. Minho never actually met one (to his luck) but he knew that waking a puppy was just as bad as having to fight one. Hellhounds pretty much acted the same as wolves and if there was one thing they did not like, it was something dangerous approaching, touching, or hurting their little ones. They were really protective. Worst of all was that puppies have really good senses, especially their ears. The slightest unfamiliar sound would make them feel in danger and shout for their mommy – which was known as a hellhound’s screech, a sound normal humans usually became deaf of. Thank God the Drop of Dusk protected their souls to at least _some_ extent.

Of course, luck wasn’t anywhere to be found on their side. It was unusual that the hellhounds did not drag their victims to the food store cave because Minho assumed that they’d want to eat their souls and then their bodies like they did with anyone else. But unfortunately, Group Hell’s target was laying right next to the cocoons of the sleeping puppies.

Byeonghee hissed quietly next to them, «That’s not good.«  
«Well«, Hyunjin started and leaned forward slightly, seemingly counting how many people the hounds had dragged down here, «Good thing is; there are only three people. The others are either not here or…well…already on their way to those puppies stomach…«  
Hyunjin’s bad attempt of lightning the mood was deliberately ignored by both, Minho and Byeonghee, as the former answered just as hushed, «Bad thing is; if we just as much as make a wrong movement and alert those puppies, we’ll face a horde of angry ass pissed hellhounds, trying to protect their young beasts.«

«That woman that’s lying there looks a lot like Chanyeol – this has to be Yoora. And that other guy seems to be Jinyoung your sweet almost boyfriend wanted us to save«, Hyunjin whispered and Byeonghee nodded, his eyes glowing in a dangerously striking red, «The third one is Reticence, I’m sure of it. I can feel his power, though, it’s low.«  
Minho released a mentally really loud, in real life though barely existing breath; he was sorry for whoever didn’t make it down here but at least, they got the three people they actually came here for. «He isn’t my boyfriend, not even almost«, Minho said quietly and observed the surroundings, trying to figure out a way to get all of them out alive, «We could try to sneak up to them and then silently drag them away, but I don’t think that we can do this quietly.«  
The Fire Warlock shook his head, «No, definitely not. What if we kill the puppies first? I could set them on fire.«

The nonchalant shrug Byeonghee added onto the last sentence made both, Hyunjin and Minho stare at him dumbfounded. Hyunjin shook his head, «What the hell, _no_. Did you ever burn a dog, burning isn’t nice when you’re still alive – they would scream and we’d die.«  
«No, I never burned a dog. I’m surprised _you_ did«, Byeonghee countered and Hyunjin was rendered speechless, Minho almost laughing at the latter’s absolutely offended face. They offered and thought of another few ideas, though nothing seemed smart or careful enough.

After a silent set of bickering, Byeonghee finally said, «Okay, shut the fuck up. I think, we should just run up, use the pearls we all got from Namjoon and disappear before the hounds are here to protect their crying ass dumb puppies.«  
«Do you think that’ll work?«, Minho questioned. It didn’t exactly sound bad because no matter what they’d try, they’d attract attention and somehow get in trouble. But just running in and acting all _‘no risk no fun’_ wasn’t exactly the tactic he’d choose for this kind of situation, «We don’t even know if the pearl would help us out of hell, nor if it would take all of us or just the person using it.«  
Hyunjin frowned, «So…shall we just risk it?«  
«No…«, Byeonghee answered after hesitating for a few seconds.

They decided to try and reach Namjoon again after some time because they weren’t sure how exactly the Pearl of Light worked. The simple description commonly known was _‘It’ll enlighten your way’_, but Minho didn’t need a lamp, he needed to be sure that they’d get out of here. All of them. Alive.  
Reaching Namjoon from hell was hard enough, trying to reach him from a deeply into the depths of hell hidden cave was even worse though. It took Byeonghee more than double of the time he’d needed before.  
Minho felt it before he knew it – his vision started to get blurry on the edges and he felt like throwing up, even though he had been perfectly fine up until now. He shook his head lightly and closed his eyes, trying to focus on one point in particular and blaming it on the air and magical power, coupled with the influence of the hellhound’s ugly energy down here.

Namjoon’s voice in his head felt like someone tried to stab his brain from the inside, but Minho shook it off and listened to him when he answered, _«What is it?«_  
His voice seemed kind of off – like he was stressed and actually didn’t have the time to deal with them right now. But before Minho could open his mouth and ask him about anything, Byeonghee started quietly ranting down their problem.  
_«The Pearl of Light works with whoever touches it at the moment«_, he answered in a tight voice, now probably worried about them, _«You’ll just have to say what you want from it and the pearl will do it. But you have to envision it in your mind for it to work out.«_

Minho barely registered Hyunjin’s voice when he said, «So, what if we’d run up to them, place the pearl near them so it touches them and tell the Pearl to take us to Jeongin, would that work?«  
_«Technically…yes. But I’m not sure if you’re safe with just Jeongin. It’s possible that the hellhounds would try to get their prey back and follow you – Jeongin is waiting for you right in front of the door to hell«_, Namjoon answered slowly.  
«Then contact Jeongin and tell him to prepare a teleportation back home«, Hyunjin ordered and looked at Minho for a slight second, his face slowly morphing into a worried frown, «Min, are you okay?«  
It took him a lot to nod and concentrate on an answer but Minho managed, «Yes. Just…don’t worry, let’s get this over with. Tell Jeongin he’ll have to be ready to teleport six people and himself as soon as we all arrive.«

Namjoon hummed quietly, _«What about your souls?«  
_«It doesn’t matter where our bodies are«, Byeonghee answered fast and continued, «Tell him to teleport all of us as soon as the pearl drops our poor victims to his feet. We can always disappear from here as long as we drink the Drop of Dusk and our souls aren’t stained with death.«

The wizard agreed and wished them luck before disconnecting the mind link for now.

«Okay, this is how we’re going to do this«, Byeonghee said and Minho and Hyunjin watched him drawing a strategic small map into the dusty ground with his fingers, «We’ll all choose someone to drop the Pearl of Light to. We’ll run up, tell the pearl our wish and drink the potion as fast as possible.«

Hyunjin nodded slowly, «Sounds good. I’ll take Jinyoung, Byeonghee probably wants his lover-boy and Minho, you’ll take Yoora.«  
«Don’t forget; envision where Jeongin is, don’t touch the pearl when wishing and leave the Drop of Dusk in your mouth for five seconds before swallowing«, Minho said, and they all nodded to each other.

When they prepared themselves, grabbing the pearl tightly in their hands and waiting another few minutes just to be sure Namjoon had reached and told Jeongin about their plan, Minho started to feel worse and worse. His head was pounding, and something felt…off. Just when Byeonghee said to get ready with a really quiet _«Here goes nothing«_, Minho felt it; something wet dripping out of his ears and onto his legs silently.

Blood.

Blood followed by a dull pain in his breast and just one thought crossing his mind; _Jisung_.

…and then, they started their plan…

\-----

Minho honestly didn’t know what happened. He barely remembered running up to Yoora after Byeonghee gave them the sign to start, begging the pearl to send her to Jeongin. He had fumbled around with his phial of the potion, almost dropping it when the puppies obviously started hearing them and screaming for their mom. The screech of them, together with his already blurry vision and pounding head almost made him want to lie down and die right there and then.

Thankfully, Hyunjin had sensed that something was wrong with Minho because as soon as Yoora had successfully disappeared, he went to help Minho and the next thing he knew was that literally everything disappeared in front of him into a heavy mix of colours and sounds.

So when the warlock slowly blinked his eyes open and couldn’t move, barely registering where he was, his mind swayed back and forth between a panic attack and adrenaline. Minho breathed through his mouth in order to calm down and then slowly started seeing clearer again, his ears feeling dull and his head still slightly pounding – though, he seemed fine other than that.

The first thing Minho realized was that he was in no way at home. Neither Jeongin, nor Hyunjin or Byeonghee were anywhere to be found and honestly, he started to worry. The second thing he realized was that he wasn’t in his body; wherever he was, he was still in his soul form. His surroundings were strangely familiar, almost homey to him and though he still didn’t know where exactly he was, he felt like he wasn’t in danger.

A sudden sweet voice pulled Minho out of his thoughts as he whipped his head around and watched how the door at the end of the hall he was lying in suddenly flew open, a woman with long, dark hair, a beautiful dark green night gown and bare feet walked inside. Her skin was pale and her eyes round and big, dark as the sky at night. Minho immediately recognized her singing voice and realized where he was within an instant, «Ednera. Why am I here?«

Ednera stopped in her tracks totally dumbfounded, whipping her head around to look at Minho and blinked totally confused, almost as if she didn’t expect him to be here.

**_«What are _you_ doing here?!«_**, she questioned and honesty, Minho couldn’t even think about her lying – Ednera seemed just as confused and shocked as he himself felt.  
Her dark eyes skimmed across his halfway sitting body and stopped at his throat, following something up to his ears, **_«Darling, is that blood?«_**

Minho startled and touched his ears, wincing upon actually touching something wet and remembering that he indeed had started to bleed out of his ears right before everything had disappeared into nothingness. Something in his mind was shouting at him to get the fuck up and back home.  
He startled again when Ednera was suddenly crouching in front of him, gently moving his head around by securely holding his chin, her hand slowly wandering down until it set right across Minho’s heart. Just when he wanted to say something, a sudden sting went through his heart again and he cringed at the feeling, biting his teeth, and forcing himself not to shout out. Ednera frowned and snapped her fingers, Minho feeling agravic for a few seconds before suddenly feeling something soft under him; the Goddess had teleported him into a bed.

She had a stern look on her face as she started cleaning the blood off of Minho’s ears and throat, her touches just as gentle as her voice, **_«You should’ve listened to Hyunjin when he told you to stop.«_**  
«What happened?«, Minho asked and he knew that Ednera understood his question, though, she decided to play dumb and answered: **_«Your body is too weak to perform a soul transfusion. That’s why you probably ended up here instead of back in earthland when you drank the Drop of Dusk.«_**

Minho huffed, «You know that’s not what I wanted to know.«  
Ednera stopped moving and stared at him with emotionless eyes without saying anything, Minho shrinking back into the bed obediently. She only continued talking once she resumed her task of cleaning, **_«If I tell you, will you just run off and go save him?«_**

He really had to bite his lip to stop himself from not immediately shouting a clear _«Yes«_ at her face. Ednera either didn’t care or didn’t notice him hesitating. Instead of answering, he rasped out a quiet, «I need you to cut ties for me.«

The Goddess of Darkness stopped with her cleaning again and now stared at Minho with something between worry, fear, and sadness. Her lips slowly morphed into a pout and her angelic face seemed nothing less but pitying, **_«Minho, dear. As much as I’d want to help you, I can’t.«_**  
«Why? You are the Goddess of Hell and Darkness. If _you_ can’t, who would be able to do it?«, he answered and watched as Ednera put away the cloth she was cleaning off the blood with. Her posture changed and she shook her head slowly, **_«Because this isn’t about hell and darkness. Your tie with him goes beyond everything I am capable of dealing with. While it’s true I’m a Goddess, I’m also punished and banned. I can’t help with things that aren’t from hell.«_**

Minho frowned and pushed himself up into a seating position, instantly regretting it as the pain in his breast spread again, «…W-What is that supposed to mean? You just told me that I should’ve listened to Hyunjin, so it has to be my fault. I’m a Warlock, Ednera. I’m from hell and darkness.«  
The Goddess shook her head again, her hair whipping around her face like a dark veil. She seemed hesitant with her following words, choosing wisely how to say them, **_«Yes…but not him. Not entirely at the very least. I can’t help you with this, you have a pact with heaven.«_**

Now it was his turn to look away and bite his lip, «It can’t be him. He’s just…a young man. He lost his parents, his hometown. He is innocent and pure. There’s no way it’s him.«

Ednera’s eyes were full of sorrow even though it wasn’t her fault. Minho didn’t want to see that look in her eyes, didn’t want to see her sincere feelings towards the truth he himself couldn’t accept.

The pact Minho made with heaven, the oath, the prophecy. There was no way it already started, no way it had already begun.  
Minho flinched when Ednera softly pushed him back into the cushions and finished her cleaning duty silently. When she was finished, she laid her hand above Minho’s heart again and closed her eyes, mumbling an incantation in a language not even he understood. Her hands glowed in a soft sky blue. It was her true colour, her true magical nature and it almost made him smile if it wasn’t for the slight burn within his heart. She mumbled an apology and straightened her back, as soon as her hand pulled away, Minho felt significantly better, «What did you do…?«

Ednera sighed and softly pushed a lost hair out of Minho’s way when he slowly sat up on the edge of the bed he had been lying in, **_«I put a protection spell around your heart. I can’t help you other than that. It’ll protect you as some sort of…wall. As long as you behave yourself, that is.«_**  
Minho swallowed, understanding her reference and nodding slowly. When he looked back up into her eyes, she avoided them and held her hand out for him to take, gently guiding him through her dark castle while softly humming a melody.   
He didn’t even have to say anything for her to finally say, **_«He isn’t dead. And not in great danger…yet. But he will be if you guys don’t act fast. All of them will.«_** She stopped in front of a wide silver door, pushing it open and revealing a portal coloured in sky blue – it must be her portal out of hell, the one she can’t escape of anymore. Minho recognized his surroundings as the exact copy of the dimension door in the basement of the Castle of Darkness. It seems like her home down in hell ironically represented the way it used to look like on earthland.

As Ednera fixed Minho’s cloak and hair like the caring person she was, a serious look set itself on her face as she finally rested her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him with round and stern eyes.  
**_«You won’t like this. But you have to follow your orders from heaven. You have to forget about him for as long as it takes you guys to find the last remaining person«_**, she said.  
Minho frowned, «But there are two people missing. The prophecy was talking about nine-…«  
**_«You already found the eighth person«_**, Ednera interrupted him and Minho blinked, «Reticence…«

Ednera nodded and slowly turned Minho around, pushing him towards the portal softly. He could feel her cold breath on his ear as she whispered, **_«Trust in your fairy friend to find the last one. Pacifism already sent him out to get him without knowing. For now, you should focus on finding Piety.«_**

Minho frowned again, for some reason feeling chills running down his back and watching his breath come out as small clouds in front of him, «Piety? Why Piety?«  
Before Ednera even tried to answer him, she pushed him forward and said, **_«I already helped you too much. I won’t be able to help you anymore. Be careful, dearest.«_**

And the last thing Minho saw before he got sucked into the depths of the dimension portal was something shadowy wrapping itself around Ednera’s body, ice slowly covering the insides of her castle and everything falling apart…

\-----

As soon as Minho felt his soul slipping back inside his body, he took in a sharp breath and sat up, hitting his forehead with someone else’s in the process and therefore falling back down onto the floor and groaning when he hit the back of his head as well, «Freaking shit-…Hyunjin! Are you going nuts?!«

Hyunjin rubbed his red forehead and pointed an accusing finger at Minho, «_Me_?! What about you and your bleeding ears and non-breathing body, what the fuck?!«

«Don’t lean over dead people!«, Minho shouted back and finally stumbled onto his feet with a very reluctant Hyunjin’s help.  
«Don’t just die on the floor and randomly suck in a breath then! Remain dead once you’re dead, what is wrong with you and Jisung?«, the Warlock of Pride shot back and earned a slap on his head from Namjoon, who released a pent up sigh.  
«I guess your soul had been sent to Ednera because your body was basically dead?«, he asked and Minho nodded shortly, ignoring the worried look from Hyunjin.

Byeonghee’s voice somehow sounded calming and reassuring, though it was clear that he was anything but, «You were only out for about ten minutes. And me and Hyunjin felt something really weird right before you woke up.«  
«…«, Minho wanted to say something, but his thoughts were running around the scene he had just watched unfold in front of him. It had looked familiar, almost like he’d already seen this once. But then he remembered it; he hadn’t been the one who saw it. Jisung had told him that Kritix died in his dreams all the time, being killed by shadows.  
He swallowed and turned to look at Hyunjin, «You can’t…talk to Kritix, right?«

Hyunjin startled slightly and frowned, «No? She had been dead for centuries, ever since the Great War between Hell and Heaven ended. I can try to demand things from her and pray to her powers but…that’s it. Apart from dreams or some pictures, I can’t communicate with her.«  
Minho suddenly felt sick, «E-Ednera…right before she send me off through the portal…everything was falling apart in hell and there were shadows swallowing her. Jisung had been talking about the same thing happening to Kritix in his dreams, do you remember?«  
«And now? She must’ve said something to you or is there another reason for you to look as freaked as that?«, Namjoon said and Minho nodded slowly, «She told me that she couldn’t help us anymore. I guess she was talking about me and Jisung since she had been talking to both of us. And she told me to look for Piety.«

«Woah wait!«, Hyunjin said and seemed in his offended mood again, «You could also hear Ednera?! That’s something you should’ve told me!«  
Minho dismissed the topic after discussing about why it never came up and it wasn’t that important, since it didn’t matter anymore anyway – Ednera was gone from his thoughts, he knew and felt it, couldn’t reach her. Given the fact that both, Byeonghee and Hyunjin, had also felt like something happened within them, added onto that.

They were about to talk back and forth more, until Ryujin pointed out that talking in the teleportation room wasn’t exactly the best room to do this and so, they ended up in the salon again; now, obviously, less people than before. Minho wasn’t sure what to say – but in the end, he told them about what had happened in hell between him and Ednera (at least the things he could actually tell them) and earned confused frowns from everyone. They decided to dismiss the topic _‘Piety’ _for now and focus on why Ednera and Kritix both seemed to suffer under the same circumstances and if other gods had also been in the same situation.

The Warlocks definitely felt that something was off, that their usual power source missed something. They weren’t weaker – but they felt Ednera’s absence. Though, it didn’t matter how much they were thinking and talking and discussing – nothing really made sense to any of them.  
«What could kill or weaken a god«, Yeji wondered and frowned deeply, «The Gods of Heaven and Hell are literally the most powerful creatures existing in this world. What else could be powerful enough to harm them in any way? There’s nothing as strong as that…right?«  
She looked at her Master, Hyunjin seemingly not knowing what to say, «There are legends and…weird stories about people claiming they’ve met something _absolute_.«

«Absolute? As in?«, Byeonghee wondered and raised an eyebrow, while Namjoon elaborated shortly; «It happened that people claimed to have contact with Gods they’ve never heard of or seen before. Gods no one knows, no one got ever any powers from or even read of. The Temple though…got rid of those people really fast. Apparently, they’re spreading the _Wrong Gods_.«

The Wrong Gods? What was that supposed to mean? Minho never really cared that much about the Gods and Goddesses but knew for a fact that there couldn’t be something like a Wrong God. Every God must have his purpose, his reason to exist and a reason for being a God. Not like Minho necessarily understood or believed in the Temple and its Philosophy. They claimed to pray to Ranera and be close to whatever she’s preaching, but at the same time, their witty and extremely weird High Priest ruled over more than just one country, spreading hate and discrimination as _‘the Goddess’ Will’_. People who believed in such things were a mystery in itself to Minho.

«Who could possibly know about something like that?«, Ryujin asked into the round and all of them started thinking deeply. Yes, who would know about something that didn’t happen in all of Ifith’s history yet? Probably Ranera. But as it seemed, she wasn’t really…available right now. Who was closest to Ranera, the High Priest excluded-… «…Piety…«, Minho mumbled and thought back to how Ednera had told him to look for Piety.

Everyone turned to look at him confused, Minho explaining shortly, «The person closest to Ranera probably is Piety. If there is anyone living right now who could tell us…it’s probably Piety. Maybe that’s why Ednera told me to look for him…or her…«  
Namjoon seemed to think deeply about the suggestion before humming quietly, «Yes…you’re probably right. But – how do you plan to find Piety? I for myself never met him or her.«

«But there’s someone or rather something we can ask where Piety is«, Yeji suddenly said and everyone now snapped their head towards her. She swallowed, hesitating to voice her idea but finally mumbled, «…Chanyeol-ssi owns the Mirror of Truth. There’s nothing the Mirror doesn’t know.«  
Hyunjin stared at her totally shocked, «Are you going insane?! We can’t just use a Holy Relict! There are rules, rules neither the Sins nor the Commandments are even allowed to _think_ of breaking! Getting the Mirror of Truth is dangerous!«  
While Ryujin slid back into her seat more and more, Byeonghee added: «And besides, we’d have to get Chanyeol back for it – he is the only one who can get the Mirror.«

Honestly, Minho didn’t even think that was such a bad idea. Before he could open his mouth to voice his thoughts, Namjoon interrupted him surprisingly interested, «I think that this is actually quite a good idea. But we wouldn’t need the Mirror – we could just ask Chanyeol to use the _Truth_. Though that could be…hard right now.«  
Minho suddenly felt like the following words wouldn’t sit well with him, but he remained calm and seated. Namjoon cleared his throat and bit his lip anxiously, «A few minutes before Byeonghee contacted me when you asked me about the Pearl of Light, Jisung used the mind link. He said that something was happening in Atror, something…bad. He said that they were all acting weird without even noticing, everyone being either aggressive or really sensitive. Literally everyone.«

Minho groaned. He knew this description, «You’ve got to be kidding me. Veteus?! In Atror?!«  
«How would you know it’s Veteus?«, Byeonghee asked and Minho pointed at himself, «Because I was jittery and aggressive and sensitive as well. It influenced me through…it doesn’t matter right now. Important is that I knew it and _fuck you Hwang Hyunjin_.«  
«Excuse me?!«, Hyunjin said and already opened his mouth to say something offended, Minho beat him to it though, «I told you that I do not feel good about anyone going to Atror! I told you!«

Before anything could escalate between the two again (Minho was ready to shoot some daggers at his best friend, honestly), Namjoon stood up and glared at them with glowing eyes, «Stop it. Both of you. _Now_.« They immediately shut down and felt calmer, Minho would’ve pounced at the Commandment if he wouldn’t feel such inner peace right now. The Sin of Pride though did not shut his mouth and mumbled in a sultry voice, «Did you just force your Commandment on us?«  
«Yes«, Namjoon admitted with absolutely no shame, «You two were acting extremely childish ever since I met you, stop it. We have bigger problems to deal with and I’m in no mood to intensify the pacifism around you, understood?«

Minho grumbled and Hyunjin huffed, but they didn’t talk back. The Commandment of Pacifism sighed and sat back down on his armchair, running a hand through his hair, «Minho is right, Veteus somehow got inside Atror and is now controlling the inhabitant’s behaviour. We need to find a way to slow him down and chase him out of town or else everyone in Atror will kill each other. Chaos is in no way a nice God.«  
Byeonghee pointed at Namjoon with a highly concentrated look on his face, «You can force people to behave with your Pacifism, right?« - «Yes«, Namjoon answered and sighed again, «But I can’t conquer Veteus’ Chaos alone. I’m not a God, I’m a Wizard.«  
The Warlock of Wrath leaned forward in his seat slightly, «What if I’m telling you that you wouldn’t have to?« Upon everyone looking at him weirdly, Byeonghee continued, «There are three things that could control Chaos if they’d combine their powers; Pacifism, Repose and Sloth. These are the things Chaos isn’t immune against. They are Commandments and Sins and he’d have to act accordingly.«  
«Yes, that’s true. But I don’t know Repose either and Sloth-…«

«I do«, Byeonghee interrupted and smiled, «I know Sloth and I know Repose. Well, Reticence does. But he’s here now so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue…«  
Hyunjin stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of his chimney, «Wait, wait, wait! So this is where we stand at the moment; we need to find out what’s wrong with Seungmin and what could possibly hurt a God. But in order to do so, we need Ranera. Ranera is off-limits right now because we can’t enter Atror. So we need Piety. But Piety is off-limits because we don’t know where he or she even is, so we need Chanyeol. Chanyeol is in Atror though, which is currently off-limits because Veteus, the God of Chaos, is lurking around there. But we can’t just chase him away without finding Repose and Sloth first?! And get them to help some strangers?! For absolutely no reason?!«

Minho also stood up, «It’s not for no reason. We’ll all die if we won’t safe the people in Atror. Chaos will kill us all – the capital hasn’t broken down yet because of Ranera. Who knows for how long she can keep him inside the shields of Atror?«  
«With Ednera not here to balance out the light, Ifith will probably suffer of disharmony«, Ryujin added and they all turned to Yeji when she suddenly said, «How did Veteus get inside Atror in the first place?«  
«He’s not necessarily a bad God«, Byeonghee explained, «Something must’ve triggered him to act out of control. He’s a God of Hell.«

Everyone was thinking in silence again, Hyunjin and Minho sitting back down on their armchairs, until Jeongin walked inside in his fox-form, jumping onto his master’s lap obediently. Minho didn’t even notice his absence, guessed that he was responsible for checking on their rescued victims though.  
Jeongin looked up, his voice ringing in everyone’s head, _«I have rather bad news, Master.«_  
Hyunjin softly scratched the fur behind Jeongin’s ear and nodded, allowing him to speak. Sometimes, Minho forgot that Jeongin was a servant – Hyunjin barely had to act as dominant as he did now, barely did so anyways because he didn’t like it. But at moments like this, when he was fully concentrated, not controlled by any childish impulses of pride and with no hint of an amused smile on his face, the Warlock could actually be what he really was; one of the Seven Sins of Hell, a dangerous and powerful Warlock, the person who held a piece of the Key to Hell.   
The nine-tailed fox didn’t hesitate to elaborate his words from earlier, _«Neither Yoora-ssi, nor Jinyoung-ssi or Reticence-ssi are in a state of living. Neither are they dead.«_

Hyunjin groaned again, his head falling into his hands, «That means that they’re in the same state Seungmin was in?«  
Jeongin nodded slowly and almost immediately, everyone’s hopes from earlier were crashed again.  
«How long does the Awakening Potion hold on?«, Hyunjin asked and watched Namjoon frown confused. It seemed like he had no idea either.  
Jeongin suddenly stood up, jumped through a portal, and came back, landing in Minho’s lap this time, Jisung’s potion book in one of his nine tails. Minho never opened it or read anything inside it without the magic potion expert knowing. He’d seen him scribbling notes to the sides, had also seen that his mother had left some too and he knew that the potion book probably was something similar to a diary for Jisung. A memory of his mother, something he’d never get back the same way this exact book was if he’d ever lose it. He mentally apologized to Jisung for opening it and looked for the page about the Awakening Potion.  
«_…Duration…_«, he read aloud, «_…The Awakening Potion can be used for exactly seventy-two hours, after that, the special ingredient will lose its effect and the Potion will be useless._«

A sigh left Namjoon’s lips, «…So basically, we need Seokjin for the special ingredient to complete the potion, so we can awaken Reticence, so he can contact Repose and Sloth, so the three of us can chase away chaos, in order for us to get our friends back and ask Chanyeol about Piety, just so we know what happened to Ednera and Kritix and possibly other gods as well.«  
Wow. What a sentence, Minho thought and mimicked the Commandments sigh.  
They couldn’t mix the potion without Jisung anyway.

Which meant…

_«We’ll have to get our friends out before we can chase Veteus away«_, Jeongin’s voice echoed through their heads and everyone frowned worried. That seemed to be the only solution but; how? How were they supposed to get inside a kingdom stained with Chaos? Not even Namjoon could withstand Veteus’ powerful influence of Chaos.  
Suddenly, Jeongin stirred up in Minho’s lap, his eyes shining golden as he said, _«Master, someone entered your house through the portal without my permission. I can smell blood.«_

Within an instant, all of them walked towards the portal room and stopped in front of the door, preparing for a fight or to defend themselves. They slammed the doors open and Minho expected someone dangerous. Instead, they were met with a tall, cream coloured wolf, a white spot over his left eye and a body hanging over his back, his breathing laboured and eyes glowing golden. His legs were shaking, and they finally gave out under the weight of the unconscious person on his back.

When Minho walked up, he understood why this wolf could enter the mansion and trespass the shields around Hyunjin’s house without getting hurt or stopped. He gasped and kneeled down beside the wolf, carefully pulling the body away from him, «Jin-ie, this is Felix!«  
And boy, Felix did not look good.

He had scratches and wounds littered all over his pale body, his usually platinum-blonde, light purple ombre hair seemed dull and was stained with blood. It looked like he had gotten into a bad fight, he could see the marks of claws and bites. Minho could also feel that Felix was drained of magic; he must’ve used all of his magic to take himself and this wolf back to Hyunjin’s mansion.  
If it wouldn’t have been for this wolf’s own obvious injuries and the fact that he’d carried Felix all the way back here, Minho would’ve assumed that he had been the one who hurt the fairy prince.

Minho didn’t know where Felix had been, but he knew thanks to Ednera, that Namjoon had sent him off for something – apparently, he’d find the last person. And when Minho turned his head to look at the wolf, observing his golden eyes, he whimpered quietly, an animalistic growl leaving his throat as the warlock tried to touch him. Minho felt his own eyes glow slightly as a reaction, «I won’t hurt you. I need to check your injuries.«  
The wolf huffed obviously difficult breaths, Minho’s eyes immediately seeing the broken rip, but the wolf let himself be touched. That meant that he understood him.

This was a werewolf.

How did Felix find a werewolf?  
Minho pushed the thoughts aside and leaned over the wolf, preparing a sleeping spell, «Okay, you’re a werewolf, so your injuries will heal faster once you’ve gotten enough rest. I’ll use an incantation to make you fall asleep.«  
The wolf whimpered again, a high sound, but Minho was sure he saw a slight nod. Shortly after, the wolf fell asleep, his breathing more regular.

While they carefully carried the two injured into the infirmary, Minho noticed a faint scar on the wolf’s right side and under it a barely visible brand.

A bitter taste spread itself inside Minho’s mouth; the scar over this brand meant, that the wolf must’ve been excommunicated from his pack.

He was alone.

Minho sighed and let Ryujin and Hyunjin do the healing, retreating to his own room and staring at the potion book Jeongin neatly placed back down on his bed. The nine-tailed fox was curled up in a comfortable ball of fluff shortly after, right next to Minho, on the bed.

Things were going up and down and Minho only hoped that Jisung was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I wonder...  
Well, I don't but I guess you guys do :D
> 
> It's getting hot in here and as you may or may not have noticed, our first, real, dangerous fight is about to approach. Slowly, but it's on the way.  
I guess you guys now understood or at least have an idea of who Reticence and that wolf are...it's easy, come on guys XD  
WHICH IS EXCITING *dude, we're getting the gang back together* *music drop*  
(i should delete tiktok)
> 
> Anyways.  
What do you think happened to Ednera? And what will happen to our Group Seungmin - will they remain in Atror, waiting for someone to save them?  
Or am I just tricking you guys into believing that again...?  
I'd like to remind you guys that Group Seungmin went to Atror for a reason; which is Seungmin. And our beautiful young priest boy Seungmin has some really crazy things up his sleeve...  
The question is; who saves them?
> 
> NOW  
Thank you so much for reading!  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you have any questions or just something to say, don't hesitate to do so uwu
> 
> Stay healthy! <33


	18. brew of nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay  
this chapter is like...a littttttlleee tiny bit confusing. But it HAS TO be confusing because i purposefully do not want you to understand most of it. Though, I hope you can bear with it, it's a very important chapter
> 
> Also...I'm lowkey sorry, this is like a snippet of what our Jisung is going through in this story and please don't kick me iehfenfbweufbwb prepare some tissues-
> 
> have fun reading ><

**Brew of Nightmares;  
Dreams are usually something beautiful, fantastic, and calming. Though, nightmares are dreams too. Every person is afraid of different things, some may seem ridiculous to others, but for the person who has to live through this fear, there’s nothing as horrible as the experience or sheer thought. The Brew of Nightmares was originally invented to help people get over their fears in form of sleep-therapy. It was supposed to be a good idea, though, not any person reacted as good to it than expected. Some people’s fears are more than just a childish illusion or something they can just forget. Traumatic memories or real, deep phobias can’t be cured by simply drinking the Brew of Nightmares – instead, they intensify the panic, make those people go through what they’ve dreaded all their life again and again, until they can defeat their fear.  
The problem is; they can’t.**

_As a child there are different things for any kid to be afraid of. Some were typically afraid of monsters under their bed and the darkness. Other’s couldn’t deal with things like insects or scary stories. Every child had its own share of fears, its own small bag of nightmares._

_Jisung never had those. _

_When he was a child, the other kids in school tried to make him scared, to startle him or do something to freak him out. But he wasn’t scared of anything. He didn’t care about the night’s darkness, he wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms – no, he enjoyed them, sat outside or behind his open window, watching the lightnings and the rain and the wind, whipping trees and leaves around and forcing people to stay inside, feeling the vibrations of the thunders in his house. Jisung didn’t care about insects, spiders, or rats. He saved worms from dying on summer days and placed them in some shadowy grass-place, he rescued little animals from getting eaten by cats or chased by dogs. When some other kids were bullying someone for whatever reason, Jisung stepped in-between and chased them away with no thoughts about his own height, strength, or well-being. _

_The children called him brave. The adults called him naïve. And Seungmin said that he just didn’t know fear. _

_Though, that was not true at all. Jisung did have a fear, a nightmare and something he was terribly afraid of. It just wasn’t like anyone could easily trigger or see it._

_He was five years old when his dearly loved father suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye, without explaining, with seemingly no reason whatsoever. Jisung never found out what pushed his father to leave his family and then, after some time, die alone and leaving him the same.  
He was eleven when his mother got executed by the Temple and the Government for what she was; a magic potion expert._

_And he remembered that day like it happened yesterday._

_It had started like every other day; Jisung got woken up by his mother, her soft voice reminding him of school and that he’d be late if he wouldn’t get up now. He got ready, they ate breakfast together, his mother opened the pub and Jisung bit her goodbye until lunch. School went smoothly, everything went smoothly. He went home for lunch, him and his mother ate, and he went back to school together with Seungmin._

_They were on their way back home after school, something past four o’clock, messing around and making joke’s like always, when they heard it. The bells of the local temple, not too far away from Orlon; but loud enough for the townspeople to hear it._

_Jisung never really understood Seungmin’s parents, tried to, but never did. They weren’t necessary bad people, they just believed in things Jisung and his mother didn’t believe in. Not the same way as the Temple. Therefore, it surprised Jisung when they suddenly ran up to the two of them, worried looks on their faces and instead of taking their son with them, Seungmin’s mother grabbed Jisung’s shoulders softly, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and panic, «Jisung-ie, where is your mother?«_

_The young boy frowned and pointed towards the direction of his home, their pub, and the place where his mother probably was – where else? «Home…? As always, Priestess Kim.«  
Seungmin’s father went to walk ahead immediately, running towards the pub and leaving them standing in the middle of the road. People were walking towards the town’s centre, expecting an answer and explanation for the ringing bells. Jisung listened to the melody of the bells again and his eyes widened upon realizing the rhythm and its meaning, «Someone is going to be executed.«_

_The pure look of horror in the eyes of Seungmin’s mother was enough for Jisung to connect the dots. He was young, but he wasn’t naïve like most adults said, he wasn’t dumb, and he certainly wasn’t slow either. Without thinking about it, he got out of the woman’s grip and ran towards his home. Though, when he arrived there, the doors were already open and the only person walking out of it was Seungmin’s father, forehead wrinkled and a disappointed, sad glint in his eyes. Jisung stared at the destroyed interior from the outside, turning on his heels and ignoring the man’s shouts. _

_He needed to get his mother. He needed to save her, he needed her._

_When he arrived at the centre, people had already gathered and whispered among themselves, they didn’t care about Jisung pushing through, neither did they recognize him or dare talking to him in fear of getting punished as well. When he finally pushed through, he spotted his mother in the middle of the crowd, a podium of woods with a gibbet placed in front of her. Her long, dark hair seemed dull, her face pale and her arms were littered with bruises in blue and green. Jisung had never seen her like this._

_The thing about magic potion experts was, that their magic is unnatural. And if they use their magic in a wrong way, their body shows it in form of bruises, scars, and self-harm. But Jisung knew for a fact that those bruises weren’t from his mother’s use of magic. He knew for a fact that she did not use her magic wrongly. He knew that because she never mixed enhanced potions again after his father disappeared. Only healing potions. And the potion Jisung had to drink in order to sleep._

_And yet, some of the people around him were staring at her arms, pointing at her, whispering how shocked and disgusted they were that they had been fooled by one of their townspeople like that. _

_The way the Temple’s guards pushed his mother forward, her arms behind her back and not caring if she was ready to walk or even had the strength to do so, almost physically hurt Jisung. He knew what they were going to do, he knew it. And yet, his brain didn’t fully realize it. Only when her first foot stepped onto a step to the podium did he realize what was going to happen._

_Jisung wanted to run to her, but almost as if she heard his thoughts, his mother turned to look at him and shook her head slowly. She had a pained smile on her lips, almost as if she didn’t just step onto a podium with a trapdoor under her feet. Almost as if they didn’t just wrap a gibbet around her throat.   
His eyes widened and he ignored his mother’s shaking head, stepping forward with tears stinging in his eyes, but something held him back.  
He registered Seungmin’s voice, he could feel his best friend’s shaking hands wrapped around his torso and the wet tears on the back of his shirt as he shouted for his mother._

_«Jisung, please! You can’t help her!«, Seungmin’s voice pushed through the rushing of his blood in his ears as he tried to break free from his grip._

_He shook his head, «No! She didn’t practice magic, I know it! She didn’t do it! My mother isn’t like this!«  
A Temple’s guard walked up to him with a glare in his eyes, «Is this the bitch’s son?«  
His mother’s voice startled everyone, no one had asked her, and no one had expected her to speak up in the first place. She sounded weak, but her voice held no room for arguments, «Don’t touch him. He can’t use magic, he was born with a defect. My Jisung-ie never used magic, you never even found a hint of something magical inside of him whenever you came for check-ups. He’s as human and innocent as can be.«_

_Jisung watched as the guard’s face slowly morphed into a grin, «Oh really? What if he just didn’t develop it yet? We can’t be careful enough, can we?«  
While Jisung himself glared at him, dared him to touch a hair of his so he could just kick him or do whatever his childish brain thought he was capable of, all of the guard’s movements suddenly stopped and he started shaking, coughing up blood and then, finally falling onto the ground lifelessly. Jisung whipped his head around to stare at his mother in disbelieve._

_She was breathing hard, a red line slowly extending from her heart, to her throat and splitting apart to also extend towards her left arm, «I dare you to hurt him in any way. Anyone, I don’t care. But if something happens to him, I will not hesitate to kill every single one of you.«  
The head priest stepped forward, finally, pointing an accusing finger at Jisung’s mother and shouting at the crowd, «You’ve just seen it yourself! This woman is extremely dangerous! She just killed one of our guards without even regretting it! And the Goddess of Stars and Light, the all mighty Queen Ranera, allowed such ugly creatures to exist in our world? To practice magic and get the chance to steal the life of our own children? Of ourselves?«_

_A horribly sadistic and satisfied grin set itself on the head priest’s face as he turned around to face Jisung’s mother, «No, I don’t think so. Fuck the Queen and her preaches. This is about the protection and safety of Orlon. With the power and authority given to me, I, the head priest of the Temple of Orlon, sentence you, Han Saebom, to pay for your crimes and die.«_

_Jisung was shaking, trying to get rid of Seungmin’s iron grip._

_But his mother’s voice ripped him out of his panicked state immediately. She seemed to not care about the head priest. Or the people staring at her without even trying to save her even though no one seemed okay with it. No one cheered, no one cursed her. It was silent. As silent as can be.  
And in this silence, his mother’s broken voice echoed over the venue like a thunder, «Don’t look at me like this, Jisung-ie. You’re my brave little boy, aren’t you?« She smiled, straining against the tight gibbet around her throat, «You aren’t afraid of anything. You are good-hearted. You are such a warm person, with such a light heart. Don’t let anyone tell you something else. Don’t ever forget that no matter what happens in the future, you are Han Jisung. My smart, precious Jisung-ie, who rescues worms from the sun and heals birds after they got attacked from cats.«_

_Jisung wanted to say something, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move, he didn’t even try to fight against Seungmin anymore.  
Instead, he stared at his mother when she locked eyes with him and smiled again. «I’m sorry. That I can’t be here anymore. That I can’t watch you grow up to a handsome man, can’t tell you what to do with you first love, can’t be there for your marriage and future.«  
«No…«, Jisung said and felt Seungmin’s grip around his body loosen up as he fell onto his knees, not knowing what to do, «No, mom. I love you. You are the best mommy, the best mom a child could have. You don’t have to be sorry.«  
His mother laughed lightly, a weak chuckle, «Look at you. Still trying to cheer me up…«_

_She laughed again, shaking her head, «You should be the one who needs friendly words. Not me…«  
Jisung stared at his mother as the head priest shouted, **«Three!«**_

_The guard holding the arm for the trapdoor positioned himself. _

_«You are my one and only«, his mother said and breathed in shakily._

** _«Two!«_ ** _, the guard stepped back a little bit to yank the arm down._

_His mother smiled again, as beautiful as she always did, «Don’t give in to the evil, Jisung. No matter what happens, always remember…that your heart is good…«_

** _«One!«_ ** _, the head priest shouted._

_«I love you so much«, she mouthed at him._

_It happened in slow motion. Seungmin grabbed Jisung’s wrist, beckoned him to go away. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t look away, he couldn’t move or say anything – he couldn’t even cry.   
When the guard pulled the arm down and the trapdoor opened under his mother, it was dead quiet. No one said anything, the people didn’t even gasp.   
It was silent. There were no birds chirping, no chickens running around. Jisung could only hear his own breath. His own breath and the sound of the robes rubbing against the wood while his mother’s body swayed back and forth.  
Nothing but the sound of the trapdoor still slightly swaying and screeching quietly._

_Nothing._

_But it echoed in Jisung’s ears._

_It echoed in his ears when Seungmin pulled him up and away from the centre.  
It echoed when Seungmin and his parents ushered him inside his house, up the stairs and away from the remains of the struggle his mother must’ve fought for in order to not get dragged to her own execution.  
It echoed when Seungmin’s shaky hand found its way in Jisung’s hair, pulling his best friend into a tight hug._

_The sound of her breaking neck. _

_And then, just like her neck had suddenly cracked, Jisung broke down. He started breathing hysterically, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to think. He couldn’t feel Seungmin’s grip tightening, he didn’t realize how desperately he clutched onto his best friend’s shirt, he didn’t hear his own heart-breaking sobs and cries. _

_Jisung was afraid of something and he did had fears._

_To him, there was nothing as scary as being alone._

_Alone with nothing but void._

_Nothing…_

_…_

\-----

_When Jisung opened his eyes, he knew that he wasn’t awake for real. Though, he also knew that this wasn’t a dream either._

_He swallowed the lump in his throat and shook off the memories he had just relived, standing up from the cold, dusty ground he had been lying on. Though he had been to some places with his soul and dreams already, he didn’t know this one.  
His surroundings were wide and grey, cold ground, no mountains, hills, or buildings or even plants anywhere. It was weird but, well – Jisung was almost certain that this, whatever it is, wasn’t really a place to actually exist anyways._

_Not knowing what to do, Jisung walked ahead – he didn’t know where he was going or if his walk would take him somewhere to begin with. But he just walked.  
After some time, he suddenly heard someone sobbing. He walked towards the source of the sounds. Seemingly an eternity of walking later, he finally saw someone in the distance, lying on the cold floor, covered with dust, and barely moving apart from the shaking shoulders. He was literally lying in his own puddle of blood.  
As soon as Jisung stepped forward to help the guy, he suddenly flinched and said, «Don’t come near me.«_

_The voice startled him – not necessarily because of the venom in the person’s tone but also because of the general sound of it. It sounded familiar, almost too familiar. But at the same time, it didn’t. Jisung swallowed and walked around the person, a sharp gasp escaping his lips as he recognized the guy; chubby cheeks, round eyes, pouty lips…except that his cheeks were everything but chubby and his skin wasn’t anywhere near as golden. This man looked like Jisung…but it clearly wasn’t him._

_Whatever had happened to this version of him must’ve been horrific; the skin was pale, almost white, the usually platinum hair black and dull, the round eyes dark and red, cheeks tinted with dried tears. He was covered in dirt and, as Jisung observed, several sources for the blood – too familiar, he could almost feel it on his own body; blood dripping out of the ears, several scratches on both arms…and what scared him the most; a leaking, open hole where his heart was supposed to be. _

_Jisung flinched slightly when his resemblance started coughing all of a sudden, glaring at him with such intense hate and coldness that he started questioning if he himself could even stare at someone like this, **«What are you looking at?!«**  
His voice was raspy and deep, unfamiliar and yet completely familiar at the same time.  
«I-…«, Jisung didn’t know what to say – what should one say to someone who looks exactly like oneself but on the verge of dying? «Who are you…?«_

_An almost sarcastic laugh left the other’s lips as he took a deep breath to answer, **«Who do you think should I be? I am obviously you.«**  
This other him was quite annoying, Jisung thought and said; «I noticed! I just…you don’t seem like…me.« - **«That may be because I’m everything you’re not«**, Fake(?)-Jisung huffed and coughed again, a few drops of blood dripping out of his mouth._

_Okay, seriously. Jisung had one nightmare too much to deal with this now. He didn’t even know where the hell he was! Or what exactly happened! His thoughts were running back and forth between the memories of his dream and his friends – were they okay? Did something happen? Maybe…they were also somewhere around here?  
«What is this? And what happened?«, he asked confused and watched his resemblance roll his eyes, almost as if he was annoyed by him.  
Though, he answered, **«For some reason, a very powerful, long forgotten god named Veteus returned. He is the God of Chaos and though I don’t understand how, he managed to take over Atror and control everyone’s mind with his powers. You are only here as your soul. Your real body is probably running around in Atror right now, spreading chaos or hurting someone, I don’t know.«  
**Jisung nodded slowly and silence spread between them. At least for a few heavy minutes, that is._

** _«This is your fault, you know that, right?«_ ** _, the other guy said and startled Jisung out of his thoughts immediately. He frowned and looked at his resemblance confused, «What?«  
**«The bleeding out of my ears, the pain in my heart, the scratches on my arms. You had it all, didn’t you?«**, honestly it was scary how accurate this was – even though the guy said he was Jisung, and therefore probably had the same memories.  
Jisung nodded slowly, «Yes…and? It’s not like I did this to you, right?«_

** _«You don’t seem to understand what exactly I’m representing«_ ** _, the resemblance spit out through clenched teeth, a shudder going through his whole body as he trembled a little bit, **«I am not only everything you’re not – I’m also everything that ever happened to you. Every single bit of misfortune, every moment of sadness and anger, every bad characteristic treat you aren’t because there is light in your heart.«**  
Now that he mentioned it, Jisung realized it as well; this guy certainly was him but completely different. This was definitely everything he would be if he wouldn’t have had Seungmin or wouldn’t have the character he was just born with. Though, there was one thing that was quite confusing to him: «I never had black hair…«  
**«…«**, the resemblance remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the ground in front of his face with empty eyes. Instead of explaining, he said, **«You should stay away from him, you know.«**  
Jisung frowned again, to which the resemblance sighed – it was the first time his voice sounded anything but angry, on edge or annoyed, **«The Warlock. Minho. You should stay away as long as you still can.«**_

_Just hearing those words made Jisung shiver. The pure thought of staying away from Minho, purposefully that is, made him feel various kinds of things; disappointment, longing, loneliness…and because of that, fear, almost panic. Staying away from Minho felt like not breathing in even though you should, like someone held your head under water or choked you.  
The sudden realization shocked him, honestly – the fact that he compared Minho to breathing. The fact that him leaving or not being here would feel like getting killed. When did he get so attached? They didn’t know each other that good yet…did they?  
He swallowed and shook his head lightly – but he didn’t know why. Did he answer his resemblance? As in; I won’t stay away from Minho. Or did he just try to close his eyes upon the truth; the truth that he was dependent on Minho without even noticing, without knowing way._

_And honestly…without caring._

_His resemblance suddenly huffed, **«You do realize that this isn’t healthy right?«**  
«Why not?«, Jisung immediately answered, «Why should I stay away from the one person that makes me feel save…?«  
**«Maybe because that will kill you? I get it, you’re kind of depressed and you may or may not have some trauma no one cured but you can’t be this suicidal.«**  
Utterly rude, Jisung thought and huffed childishly. «How would you know? You’re lying in a puddle of your own blood. I don’t think I need survival advise from you.«_

_Okay, he knew it himself – he obviously overstepped a line now and he knew that because the second those words left his lips, it hurt in his own heart. The words were directed and the resemblance but Jisung would’ve never thought that they would actually hurt him, much less that they would hurt himself as well._

_It was almost funny, really.  
Almost.  
**«I get it, this is a sensitive topic. Especially because you don’t view it like I do«**, the resemblance muttered and Jisung felt his dark, void eyes on him, **«If anyone understands what you’re feeling when he isn’t with you, it’s me. But you will hurt him. He will hurt because you can’t let go. And you will hate yourself for doing this to him. That’s why I’m trying to tell you to stop this before it escalates…«**_

_In all honesty, no; Jisung didn’t understand it. He didn’t know why it hurt so much, why he got so angry and why the thought of him and Minho not talking scared him as badly as it did._

_He swallowed, «Why? Why do I feel like this? Why...when did I get so attached?« Jisung slowly sat down on the ground in front of his resemblance, tears stinging in his eyes as he felt his lips trembling and his heart slowly beating faster and faster. It felt like a panic attack, but he knew that it didn’t start yet. He knew that he’ll have one – but he didn’t know how to prevent it, «When did I start to get so dependent that I can’t even think about living without him? Why does it hurt so much…?«  
At this point, Jisung wasn’t sure if his chest hurt because of how fast his heart was beating or if it just was that pain he had occasionally, that stinging he had felt right before passing out in Atror, the pain he had felt in his dreams with Kritix._

** _«You have to calm down«_ ** _, the resemblance said and even though his voice was still dull and emotionless, there was a hint of general worry noticeable. **«I know this isn’t easy but if you don’t calm down, he’ll also hurt.«**  
That immediately made Jisung’s thoughts stop and for a split second, he felt nothing at all. The feeling of floating quickly disappeared, a weird rush in his ears and his head dizzy from the heavy breathing he had done earlier – but he was calm again._

_Except that the dizziness didn’t go away. Instead, he started seeing dark spots in his vision, the world spinning around and his consciousness slowly slipping away from him. He could barely focus on it, but the last thing he heard was his resemblance saying, **«I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore at this point – you’re too deep into this to let go. Seeing you made me realize that having to deal with all of your past pain for eternity…isn’t something I’d want to trade for whatever you’re going through…«**_

\-----

This time, when Jisung’s vision finally cleared up again, he knew that he actually had to throw up. And so, he did – into the next thing he could grab, which seemed to be a pot.  
The first thing he realized was that he was no longer in those grey landscapes; obviously, since there were buildings and streets and a sky and colours and this pot he felt sorry for.  
The first thing he _heard_ was a very worried and tired exhale, to which he turned around and was met with Seungmin, leaning on the wall to a building with closed eyes, «By all means of Ranera – I thought you were going to kill me.«

Jisung was confused – one second, he was talking to himself (?) and now, he was back in Atror? He observed his surroundings and figured that he was in a narrow alleyway. Seungmin looked as tired as he himself felt and it finally clicked in his brain when he saw the bloody scratches on his best friend’s arm and the knife in his hand, which he immediately dropped into the pot he just threw up in.  
«I’m sorry, Min-ie«, Jisung said and the young priest just shook his head while exhaling heavily, a hand running through his hair, «Don’t worry about it, you weren’t acting on your own behalf.«

Even though Seungmin’s weird glowing eyes and the fact that a divine power had hit him directly somehow creeped Jisung out, he was extremely thankful for it; he was sure that whatever changed in his best friend, also made Seungmin immune against certain things. Things like a crazy, berserk God of Chaos controlling people’s minds and sending their souls to some grey, weird, unknown place with clones of themselves lying in a puddle of their own blood. For example.

A sigh escaped Jisung’s lip, the sour taste of vomit still prominent in his mouth, but he ignored it for now and tried to remember anything his body did while he was…well…soulless and talking to himself. But of course he couldn’t recall anything – how was he supposed to, his soul wasn’t here to do so.   
«Where are the others?«, Jisung asked.

Seungmin shrugged, «I have zero to no idea. I tried to get Chanyeol’s soul back first because he was the closest to me and tried to kill me immediately, but he was a little bit too bulky and strong for me, so I went looking for you instead. At least, you somehow…hesitated.«  
«I was hesitating?«, Jisung wondered. That was weird. It didn’t sound like he should hesitate, much less in a soulless state of chaos. Though, they decided to dismiss the topic for now because they more important things to deal with.

It seemed like this alleyway was save from any raging and mindless townspeople, so they decided to stay here and rest some more while Jisung ripped his shirt apart to treat the wounds Seungmin had because of him (of course, he was wearing a tank-top under the shirt. It was a little bit cold, but he could deal with it). While he was dressing the wounds on Seungmin’s arms, Jisung considered telling him about what he’d seen. Though, something in his brain told him not to and instead, he just told him what he knew about Veteus.  
Seungmin nodded in thought, «Veteus is a God of Hell, isn’t he?«

Jisung nodded and shared the young priest’s thoughts, «Yes, which confuses me even more. He should be dead for all I know, punished a long time ago because of the things he did back in the Great War.«  
In the end, it didn’t really matter, so they focused on how to get out of town for now. They both agreed on the fact that they would not leave Atror without Seokjin and Chanyeol. Jisung would’ve wanted to get Jaebeom and Bambam out as well, but they would have to wait. It was more important that the Commandments would get out. If they were still alive, that is.

They also agreed that contacting Namjoon was not a good idea, since Veteus would probably sense this and immediately force his will back onto them. Jisung assumed that he was so out of control, that he didn’t even sense who was influenced and who was not anymore. He was literally lost in his own purpose; Chaos.

So in the end, they had a simple plan; knock their friends out and get out of Atror as fast as possible. Jisung knew for a fact that Veteus’ powers would not get out of the city as long as the shields were working. The shields were running with Ranera’s magic and regardless of the Goddess being fully conscious or not, the city would still be able to hold up against the Chaos’ magic for a lot longer.

When Seungmin was finally patched up and well treated by Jisung, they both stood up and nodded their heads towards each other silently. The plan sounded pretty simple; find Seokjin and Chanyeol, knock them out (somehow) and drag them to the west border of Atror.

They wished each other good luck and then walked towards opposite directions, starting their plan to escape this mindless chaos city…

\-----

The good thing about their plan was the fact that Atror was split apart by walls; which meant that the people couldn’t leave their current district or invade others. But in their case, that also meant that they were stuck with a bunch of sorcerers of all kinds. Jisung – who technically _could_ use magic but _shouldn’t_ because he can’t really control it – and Seungmin, who was a human (somehow?) and couldn’t use magic at all (they believed?) had a clear disadvantage. Especially because they were trying to knock out their friends, two of the Ten Great Commandments.

Their plan definitely sounded easier than it was. But it was their only chance and option right now. They had no choice.

Jisung felt like hours passed until he finally spotted a familiar red head in the distance. Though it was mean, he had hoped that Seungmin would cross paths with Chanyeol because he was stronger than him in any way.

He was following Chanyeol for a long time, thinking about how to knock him out. He didn’t know if someone crazy would be resistant to things that usually hurt people. He also wasn’t sure if one of the Ten Commandments was even more resistant towards, for example, a frying pan. But since he didn’t know for sure, Jisung decided to bet on his luck for once and go with the simple biology of a flower pot hitting someone’s head dead on being enough to make a human pass out.

Because in the end, Chanyeol was human as well.

It wasn’t like Jisung had never punched or hurt someone, he had gotten into various fights with classmates and boys from school back when he was still a teenager. The difference was that they had actually deserved the broken noses and kicks in the stomach (mostly), while Chanyeol wasn’t really the one to blame here.

Jisung felt like luck was actually on his side for once because as soon as he grabbed a pot big enough to certainly knock out a human (and probably giving him a concussion as well), the Commandment stopped walking and stared ahead at…well, Jisung wasn’t sure. The sky? Or maybe just something in the air he himself didn’t see?

The pot was rather heavy, but Jisung was used to carrying things and his muscles were something he certainly was kind of proud of, given the fact he was a simple host back in Orlon. Well, a host who had to work extra shifts on farms sometimes so he wouldn’t be broke for good, especially in winter. But that was all beside the point.

When he was sure that Chanyeol wouldn’t move away or notice him, Jisung stepped out of the shadows, heaved the pot over his head with an exhale and murmured a really honest and regretful _«I’m so sorry«_ before kind of hitting and throwing the pot at the Commandment’s head.

Chanyeol stiffened upon feeling the pain, yelped shortly and then, without even being able to turn around and see who did this to him, fell onto the floor unconscious.

The pot was broken and there was a small patch of blood on the back of Chanyeol’s head – though, nothing he would die of, and so, Jisung messily (but effectively) covered the wound with the remains of his shirt and started carrying him towards the west.

And that was even harder than actually knocking Chanyeol out. First of all, Chanyeol was a giant. A giant _baby_, but a giant. He was bulky and had way more muscles than Jisung could even think of. Carrying his lifeless body towards the gate was more than troublesome. And on top of that, he had zero to no idea where exactly he had to go. He orientated himself on some shields and tried to avoid furious and mindless inhabitants as good as possible. Thankfully, they didn’t really attack him since Jisung sometimes used Chanyeol’s unconscious state to act like there was nothing to attack anymore until they passed by (again, he was extremely sorry for treating his friend like this).

When Jisung finally reached the outer wall, he had to figure out in which direction he should walk to get to the gate. After walking one way for five minutes, he spotted a shield and saw that it was pointing towards the opposite direction; he had to turn around.   
After what felt like hours, he finally managed to drag himself and Chanyeol to the gate and almost like Seungmin had felt or timed it, his best friend walked up to the gate in the exact same moment. Really, Jisung was still sure that they were bonded by blood because of that dare back when they were children.

They didn’t waste another second and walked through the shields, immediately hearing a loud noise behind them. The shield where they just passed was black and Jisung could see a furious man standing behind it, angry at the fact that he couldn’t attack or stop them and also couldn’t follow them outside since the shield would naturally hurt him.

Seeing the God of Chaos was more than concerning and while Jisung had the chance, he observed him some more as good as possible through the goldish-white shield. He could barely see it, but he did; his breast was pulsating and glowing reddish. Jisung wasn’t sure what that meant but decided to keep it in mind nonetheless.

Veteus glared at him – yes, him, not the both of them, _him_ (which freaked Jisung out a little bit) – and then disappeared into thin air.

The two friends exhaled relieved breaths at the same time and walked away from the shields some more, just to be sure, until they were trespassing the border to Zodrium and definitely out of Atror.

Jisung still felt bad but he had to drop Chanyeol or else his back would seriously break. Seungmin did the same with Seokjin and they both groaned again.  
«Oh my god. This was the worst thing I ever had to do in my entire life«, Seungmin complained and shook his head as if the pure memory of it was haunting him. The magic potion expert couldn’t really blame him or argue though and nodded along tiredly. He was really just…so tired.  
«What now? Do we just wait…? How did you wake _me_ up?«, he asked and watched as the young priest kneeled down next to the two Commandments, resting a hand on both their heads. He closed his eyes and seemed to focus, murmuring things in a language Jisung didn’t know (not even as one of the old languages he used for certain incantations). His eyes snapped open and glowed white, before he immediately retreated his hands and as soon as he blinked, the glowing white in his eyes was gone.

Before Jisung could even recover from the shock, Chanyeol and Seokjin both snapped their eyes open and – similar to how the magic potion expert did – turned away to get rid of their stomach’s content.

Seokjin was the first to say something, a disgusted look on his face, «What in the name of Ranera happened?!«  
«My head hurts…«, Chanyeol groaned and rubbed at the spot Jisung hit him, wincing, and squeezing his eyes shut before throwing up again. He felt bad all over for hitting Chanyeol with that pot. The Commandment of Truth definitely had a concussion, there was no way he didn’t.   
«That one’s on me, I’m sorry…«, Jisung mumbled and smiled sheepishly.

It didn’t seem like Chanyeol was mad though, especially not as soon as Jin was done healing his own wound and started treating the other’s (Seungmin admitted that he had hit Jin across the head with a shovel).

They decided to stay seated on the grass next to the street for a few minutes longer, catching their breath and relaxing for a little bit. Seokjin seemed to be way more offended than Chanyeol was.  
Which didn’t surprise Jisung and Seungmin at all. «I can’t believe you’ve knocked me out with a fucking shovel!«  
«What was I supposed to do, you tried to hit me with a spell!«, Seungmin countered and huffed, «You should be thankful I used my weird divine thingy on you to wake you up!«

Seokjin huffed as well but didn’t answer anything.  
«At least, he didn’t throw a flower pot at your head«, Chanyeol said and Jisung winced, apologizing again, to which the Commandment answered, «I didn’t really complain, you two _did_ save us after all.«

Seungmin and Jisung told the other’s about what happened and what the magic potion expert got to know about Veteus-

«So basically«, Seungmin spoke up, «The God of Chaos, for some reason, went totally berserk and out of control. But why Atror? Why didn’t he follow us outside?«

Jisung sighed, «Didn’t you study the Gods in the Temple? Wasn’t that…your job? Because Veteus died a long time ago. I guess the fact that he shouldn’t be here in the first place is restricting his true powers.«  
The young priest glared at Jisung, «Shut up, I never actually wanted to become a priest, you know how my parents were!«  
«For now, it doesn’t really matter why he’s here. We need to find a way to save Atror before Veteus gets strong enough to break free from the shields«, Chanyeol ended the conversation and everyone nodded quietly.

They immediately agreed on the idea to teleport back to Hyunjin’s mansion. Seokjin obviously knew the route and had teleported himself to Hyunjin more than once. Though, they needed a teleportation point for that to work out and so, they had to walk all the way back to Zodrium.

Jisung wasn’t fond of Zodrium, never liked the country and didn’t like the reputation it held. It was the Temple’s capital and in its biggest city, the High Priest of the Temple resided, ruling over various countries, and spreading his weird and twisted preaches.   
The magic potion expert was once again reminded of his nightmare, the memory of his mother’s death now as fresh as ever – it had always been one of his worst fears and nightmares but dreaming of it like that, as if he had had to relive it again, made him feel like his mother had had to die all over again. There was an empty, cold void in his heart as he started thinking about the dream and it increased as they walked towards the woods that split Atror from Zodrium.

He sighed and shook his head, trying to get rid of the dark thoughts slowly clouding his mind. Jisung was tired, his muscles hurt and despite trying to ignore it, there was still the dull remain of that weird sting he had felt in his breast right before passing out because of Veteus’ influence. He knew that pain, had already felt it once when he had seen Kritix in his dreams for the last time. And his ears had been bleeding – he also knew that as something that had happened to him once.  
His resemblance and the things he had said to him…Jisung was confused. Though he had tried to ignore it earlier for the sake of getting out of Atror fast, the memories remained and haunted him. Honestly, he was afraid of it – he didn’t understand what his resemblance meant, couldn’t understand why it was so important for him to stay away from Minho. But didn’t his resemblance say that it was already too late? That he was…too deep into it already? What was that all about? Why was it so dangerous for them to be as close as they were now?  
Thinking of it, Jisung remembered Hyunjin had told Minho something similar as well – that he should stay away and stop _this_, whatever _this_ was.

Jisung sighed – his body obviously needed rest.

But his mind was craving something way more important than that, every pore in his body screaming at him to get back as fast as possible. Not because he needed a bath and sleep, not even because he wanted to share his information with all of their friends.

No, his mind and soul were aching, longing for the subtle touches, the calming, dark-magenta and the sweet and yet so bitter scent of berries and wood.

Jisung needed Minho, he knew it. He _just_ _knew_, couldn’t even question it. Which was adding onto his confusion – why should he stay away from something that felt so good?

It felt right and it felt wrong at the same time. He was torn between acting rational and acting irrational, trying to figure out how to get back to Hyunjin’s mansion the fastest. He didn’t even know how the fuck he knew that Minho _was_ back home. And if someone would’ve asked him, he wouldn’t have been able to answer. As far as they knew, Minho and the others were still in hell, trying to rescue some people.

But Jisung couldn’t stop the excitement, couldn’t stop the feeling in his breast as it slowly started to feel lighter and warmer again. The dull pain and stinging of whatever had hurt his heart slowly faded away and with every step he took towards Zodrium, and therefore their direct ticket back to Hyunjin’s mansion, he felt better.

Jisung couldn’t explain it and decided in that moment, that he didn’t need to. He didn’t care why he would have to stay away, he didn’t care about what anyone said. Heck, he didn’t even care about the fact that he was definitely a little bit too drawn to the Warlock. He just had one goal at the moment and every other thought slowly disappeared into the back of his mind;

finally getting back to Minho, because _damn_, had his gut been right. Parting ways with Minho and going to Atror had certainly been a bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i knowwww this chapter was quite heavy and really confusing but like i said - i wanted you to be just as confused as Jisung is. like usually, the reader knows things the main character doesn't know - but I want you to feel like you know nothing they don't know about.  
Of course though, if you have any questions, you can ask whatever you want uwu I can't promise that I'll answer all of them but I try to explain things without spoiling anything IF I CAN lol
> 
> Also, as always, if you want to share theories or just have something to say, feel free to do so :3 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and (i hope you didn't actually have to cry and won't kill me because I know I'm cruel to Jisung but I promise, it'll get better...eventually-)  
well-
> 
> Stay healthy uwu <33


	19. elixir of dream vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so uhm-  
first of all, it's freakin hot in switzerland, I'm melting *alexa, play melt by hatsune miku*
> 
> and uhm secondly-  
surprise :DDD (???)  
i KNOOWWWW i said that i won't do any exceptions anymore but like  
I'm so far ahead and so i decided to change the schedule to seven to nine days between every update-  
also because i figured you guys would appreciate some more frequent updates ><  
AND OKAY, MAYBE I JUST WANTED YOU GUYS TO HAVE AN UPDATE CAUSE I LOVE THIS CHAPTER
> 
> this chapter is out of Minho's view again - quite heavy sometimes jfiefnnfewnfoew I'm sorry, but even though it may not seem like it, Minho is dealing with a lot more anxieties than Jisung does O-O
> 
> though, you will definitely love the minsung moment...at least as long as it lasts :D  
have fun reading uwu

**Elixir of Dream Vision;  
While the Brew of Nightmare forces people to conquer their deepest fears, the Elixir of Dream Vision pretty much acts as the opposite. It allows its user to see the things he wants, longs for, or needs. Of course, the Elixir isn’t supposed to be useful in any way, but it does come in handy for people who suffer from insomnia because of nightmares or traumatic experiences. But people tent to get lost in the effect of the Elixir of Dream Vision – they forget that even though their dreams are indeed real, what they see certainly isn’t. In the end, the Elixir of Dream Vision only produces illusions of our deepest longings.  
Though, that doesn’t mean humans aren’t allowed to dream from time to time…**

_It was weird for Minho, honestly. He never really dreamed, apart from horrible nightmares or sleepless nights, coupled with horrific memories and thoughts.  
Even more so was it weird for him because this was a lucid dream – he knew that this wasn’t real, and yet, he couldn’t stop himself from enjoying it way too much._

_Sometimes, Minho actually allowed himself to enjoy some things; even if they weren’t real. _

_Just like this. Watching him walking over the grass, closing his eyes to enjoy the wind and breathe in the scent of flowers and spring. Though, it wasn’t spring, not at all. Minho had yet to experience a spring day with him. And when he turned around to look at him with a bright smile and the wind softly playing with his blonde hair, Minho knew for a fact that he definitely wanted to spend a spring day with him.  
His brown eyes seemed to shine like two bright stars, as bright as the sun and brighter. His voice was just as soft and soothing as he remembered it to be when he cupped a hand to his mouth and shouted, «Come on, you’re being lazy again!«_

_Minho couldn’t help but smile and nodded, walking towards him. When he finally stood in front of him and looked up, the scenery suddenly was different. He blinked confused upon feeling soft hands on his shoulders, realizing he was in his bedroom and sitting in one of his armchairs in front of the chimney. He felt hands in his hair and sighed contented, hearing steps, and watching him walk around the armchair until he stopped in front of him. The fire in the chimney made him seem like a godly silhouette, like he was absorbing the light. His full lips parted slightly as he took in a shaky breath and said, «…I feel like something will happen. Something bad.«  
He remembered this. Minho remembered this as clear as if it had been yesterday. Not like it had been more than about a week. But he knew that once he looked into his eyes, he was in a trance. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t help but notice the small, perfect details on his face; the long lashes, his round eyes and puffy cheeks, the fair, slightly toned skin and beautifully blonde hair, his plump, full lips. How he smiled gently whenever Minho made a dumb joke or how he instantly relaxed when Minho tenderly touched his wrist._

_Jisung was really mesmerizing. Hypnotizing, even._

_He knew he shouldn’t do it, but Minho couldn’t stop himself from taking his wrist and pulling him towards him, relishing in the feeling of the other’s weight on him, of his face being as near as that, their breath mingling together, their eyes seemingly unable to look away from each other. Minho knew that in real life, when this had really happened, he didn’t do it, couldn’t do it. But he knew that if Jisung wouldn’t have pulled away, he would’ve done it without a second thought.   
Minho licked his lips and noticed Jisung watching the action. _This is only a dream_, he thought to himself and gently placed a hand on the other’s cheek, _it doesn’t matter in here…

_And once his lips touched Jisung’s, it really didn’t. It was chaste, almost non-existent. He could hear the other’s sharp intake of breath, could feel him tensing on his lap. But as shocked he had been, Jisung also relaxed, closed his eyes, and kissed back slowly._

_Here’s the thing with dreams though. They are dreams for a reason. And every time you think that something in your dream is beautiful and perfect and too good to be true, you either wake up…or it ends.  
The line between dream and nightmare is barely existent, Minho didn’t even know when he crossed it. But he did know when his dream shifted from a perfect illusion to a horrible memory, a horrible thought he’d never get out of his head – even though he knew this was nothing but a lucid dream. Nothing but an illusion._

_The feeling of Jisung’s lips faded away as his body suddenly felt heavier. Minho opened his eyes and realized that they were once again on the wide field, both standing, the ground dirty and red, the sky dark and the taste of ashes spreading in Minho’s mouth, the smell of fire invading his senses.  
He immediately caught Jisung when the boy’s legs gave out under him, his eyes closed, his face pale and his breath slowing down.  
Minho knew that this was a dream. But that didn’t stop the panic and anxiety inside of him from spiking up, from not knowing what to do. He felt a cold shiver and then saw it; shadows ghostly coming nearer, wrapping around Jisung’s body, and swallowing him up, dragging him away while they held Minho back. He felt something wrap around his arms, felt pain upon trying to break free and get to Jisung. But he couldn’t._

_He couldn’t save him, and he couldn’t get to him, no matter how hard he tried.  
Jisung would die. And there was nothing he could do to stop that from happening. Because it was his fault. _

_He brought this upon himself._

_And so, Minho gave in to the darkness, fully letting it swallow him as well. Because he deserved it after all…didn’t he?_

\-----

A sharp pain on his leg woke Minho up, snapping his eyes open and immediately sitting up in his bed upon realizing that his dream…his _nightmare_ was over and the pain in his leg was real.  
He looked around and spotted Jeongin, his teeth digging into his leg and the nine tails wiggling around feverishly. As soon as the nine-tailed fox realized that Minho was awake, he let go off Minho’s leg and hopped onto his lap, a worried glint in the fox’s round eyes, _«Hyung! What happened?!«_

For a second, Minho was just as confused as Jeongin seemed to be. At least until he tried to move his arm and pet the fox on his head, wincing when he felt pain shooting up his whole arm. He looked at it and saw scratches littered all over them, blood still dripping out of the wounds. Minho exhaled and shook his head, softly patting Jeongin’s small body, «I’m sorry I shocked you. I was dreaming…«  
_«Dreaming? Your _dreams_ actually hurt you! You should tell Master Hyun-…«_, Jeongin stopped talking immediately when Minho stared at him and interrupted; «No. Don’t tell Hyunjin, he will freak out. Don’t…tell anyone, okay?«

Jeongin didn’t seem happy about this at all, _«But Master should know about it. He should know that it’s as bad as this-…«_, once again, he stopped talking and nodded obediently when Minho looked at him again, dropping his head in surrender, _«I understand, Hyung. I’ll not tell anyone, I promise.«_  
«Thank you«, the warlock said, disappearing into the bathroom to clean and treat the wounds.  
He didn’t like lying to Hyunjin but also couldn’t afford him knowing. Not yet.

When he left the bathroom and walked downstairs to the kitchen, Jeongin obediently followed him around and didn’t say anything. It was still quite early, and Minho would’ve loved to get some more sleep – knew that he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes anyways though. Hearing the quiet taps of Jeongin’s steps on the wooden floor somehow calmed his anxious nerves and as soon as he started making breakfast, he stopped thinking as much about everything for at least an hour.

Namjoon was the first to wake up, unsurprisingly. Hyunjin was a rather long sleeper and the others were probably still tired from their journey. It seemed to confuse Namjoon that Minho was awake already, storing the pancakes he made in the oven so they would remain warm and ready for the others while placing a beautiful and perfect breakfast in front of the Commandment’s seat.   
He blinked, «I-…thank you?«  
«No problem, enjoy it«, Minho said and took a seat in front of Namjoon, drinking from his tea and patting Jeongin on his lap in deep thoughts.

It was silent between the two of them for a very long time. For various reasons; Namjoon and Minho didn’t know each other, he had only heard of him from Seokjin and some gossip he had picked up from Hyunjin (that boy couldn’t shut his mouth about such things, honestly). Though what he had heard about him were mainly things like _‘the Ex we won’t talk about’_ and _‘We broke up because of him’_, the Warlock’s impression of him wasn’t bad. Namjoon seemed rather quiet and introverted, which wasn’t something Minho disliked. He didn’t really open up that much and seemed to prefer to have his own thoughts and keep them like that without anyone knowing. Probably one of the reasons why Minho had never heard more about him than Hyunjin’s personal opinion (mean words, but that was beside the point). Given the fact that they were literally in some really desperate _‘we have to act now or never’_-situation, it was no wonder that Minho and him never got to talk about anything else but how to get inside hell without dying.

And even though Minho was usually good at talking to people and getting to know them (flashback to when he first met Jisung), he didn’t sleep well or long and wasn’t in the mood for anything else but having his peace.  
He thought that Namjoon was smart enough to get a hint and not talk, considering Minho was sitting here like the moodiest person on earth.  
«…Are you always awake so early?«, Namjoon asked and Minho really had to bite his tongue in order not to answer in some insulting way. It wasn’t the Commandment’s fault that he had nightmares and a bad sleep, he shouldn’t act moody towards him.  
Though, he couldn’t hide his disinterest, «Not as early as that, but I didn’t sleep too well. And I don’t want to talk about it.«

That sounded pretty clear to him.

Either Namjoon didn’t care or still didn’t get the hint, «Well…I guess, that sucks…«  
«Namjoon, you do know that I’m in a bad mood, right?«, Minho asked straightforward and watched the other flinch slightly. For now, Minho didn’t give a damn about formalities or the fact that the Commandment didn’t do anything to deserve this.  
His anxiety was at high level, you know.  
Namjoon though only sighed and placed his fork down, «I know. I’m sorry. It’s just…I usually rant to Chanyeol about all of my twisted thoughts, but he isn’t here to suffer, and I somehow tent to have a loose mouth when I’m upset and I’m sorry, I shut up-…«

_Great, Minhoe_, Minho thought and rubbed his temples, _now he looks like a kicked puppy_.  
A sigh left his lips as Minho repositioned himself on the chair and started tickling Jeongin behind his fox ears, leaning his head on his free hand, «Rant, go ahead. I probably won’t understand half of it or be of any help, but I can listen, I’m good at that. And sometimes, someone…_just_ _listening_ is enough.«

There was a glint of hesitation in Namjoon’s eyes, but he soon smiled softly and started talking, his voice flat and eyes focused on the pancakes, «I cut off all ties to Seokjin because I had no choice. Not like he understands it – I guess he knows but doesn’t want to admit that this is for the better. Before this all started…with the hellhounds and random things hitting random young priests and stuff like that…I haven’t talked to Seokjin in almost three years. We never talked all of this out and it hurts to see him suffer because he has to see me…and talk to me…«

Minho didn’t know what to say and was happy that he said he wouldn’t do so, because Namjoon seemingly didn’t expect an answer anyways. He just paused and started playing with the food on his plate, a distant look on his face as he continued, «We are Commandments. And apart from the fact that we have to follow rules…there are other things that speak against love and relationships. Seokjin thinks…he believes that I cut off our engagement because we could never get close. Physically, I mean. Lust is a sin – and who defines the line between love and lust, between adoration and desire? I don’t know, I never knew. And the last thing I want is for him to hurt because I can’t keep it in my pants.«

Now, Minho felt like the suffering child in the birds and bees talk. He definitely did not want to talk about Namjoon and Jin’s (though non-existent) sex life. He could feel Jeongin tense up on his lap, somehow feeling the need to cover the fox’s ears even though Jeongin was way older than him and Namjoon combined. The Commandment, luckily, got away from the birds and bees pretty quickly though, «But I didn’t cut the engagement because of that, though, I’d lie if I would say I wasn’t scared. Scared that I could die because I break a rule. Or even worse; living with the knowledge of my love killing Seokjin.«

«Then why did you do it?«, Minho asked and bit his tongue. Dammit; so much to not saying anything and just listening.  
Namjoon didn’t seem to care and answered, «Because of what I am. Veteus….is dead. He had been for a long time. But that seemingly didn’t stop his soul from invading my dreams and…showing me the things he wants. He does. He is capable of. My Commandment, the Pacifism, is rather…hard to deal with. While it is true that I can bring peace and harmony, I just as much can bring war and disharmony. Being a Commandment means, not giving in to neither sides and be the balance between them. I can use my powers in a small amount – but if I’d act out of my nature, by starting a war, I’d get punished.«

Yes, Minho knew as much. The Commandments were something he never quite understood the system of. While it was true that the rules were supposed to be things humans should follow, the Ten Great Wizards should try to be something in between. A God wouldn’t kill them for acting faithful or spreading peace, but it’s not what they should do either. Every Commandment has its opposite and the Ten Great Wizards could spread those in Ifith just as effectively as they use their powers for the good. Even their relicts all had a twist – in the wrong hands, everything can become a weapon for the evil. The Holy Relicts were no exception.  
«Your split-apart key is the Horn of Pacifism, am I right?«, Minho asked and watched Namjoon nod, finally deciding to stop torturing the poor pancake and actually taking a bite from it. For a second, he looked blissed and totally happy, giving the Warlock a thumbs up – it seemed to taste good.

He swallowed the bite he had taken and continued talking, «I felt it. I knew that the dreams I had about Veteus…weren’t just dreams. I had them ever since I got chosen to be the Commandment of Pacifism when I was twelve. Until I met Seokjin and Chanyeol, I didn’t care too much about them; Veteus was dead. He couldn’t hurt me. But when I started having…feelings for Jin. And when we got into a relationship. And when I realized that I couldn’t live in a world without him, couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him…I started to get worried more and more.«

A very sarcastic laugh escaped Namjoon’s throat because of the memory, as it seemed. And Minho considered running and trying to act like he wasn’t crazy.  
He didn’t, of course.

«I would’ve never thought that Ednera could…die. That Veteus could go berserk and actually be a real threat. And the most ironic thing about all of this is, that while I left Seokjin and me to suffer only because I was scared of what could happen if I’d actually marry him, Veteus got him anyway. After everything we’ve been though, after all the sacrifices I made…my worst nightmare came true anyways«, Namjoon said dryly.

Minho suddenly felt bad.  
While he had been in a terrible mood because of something that didn’t happen yet and probably wouldn’t happen (if he’d behave, as Ednera told him), Namjoon had to deal with something he had been afraid of almost all of his life. Something he never considered real and yet feared enough to risk anything and be unhappy. And even though he had been worried about Seokjin and worried that Veteus finally got what he had wanted all along, he had helped them, listened to them, and remained calm all the time, navigating between two groups with two different missions.  
When Jisung told him about what was happening, Namjoon must’ve known immediately. Minho could only imagine what he would have done – he probably would’ve went berserk himself, teleporting himself there or doing whatever it took for him to get him the hell out of there, back home, back to where he was...back to safety, right next to him, where he knew nothing could hurt him.

But Namjoon had remained calm and in Hyunjin’s mansion, not moving, not freaking out. Even though he knew. Even though his worst fear came into reality. The fear he always thought was ridiculous.  
And now, Veteus was in Atror, their friends trapped in a mindless state of chaos with no one being able to get in…or out.  
Minho admired Namjoon for his discipline and calmness, though, right now, he was anything but. Unlike Minho would’ve been himself, the Commandment was still here. Talking about it rather than jumping into the next irrational thing he could think of.

It was now that Minho clearly saw and felt the age difference between himself and Namjoon, clearly saw the experience Namjoon had and he didn’t.  
«But why him? Why does Veteus care about Seokjin?«, Minho asked and looked at the other questioningly. The Wizard swallowed the bite of his pancake and looked at him for a few seconds without saying anything, until his eyes got darker and serious.  
He seemed like a totally different person all of a sudden, his voice deeper and his whole aura powerful even though he was not concentrating his magic at all, «Chaos knows that I wouldn’t just give him the Holy Relict – of course not, protecting it is my highest duty after all. Even the Commandments of Pacifism before me didn’t dare touch the Holy Relict, too afraid of its power and effect, too afraid of the…_temptation_. I also never touched it, only looked at it once. And let me tell you, it draws you in immediately. It’s so wrong and even though you know it, you can’t stop. I almost lost it and decided to not touch it in my whole life unless it’s necessary. But Chaos wants it. He needs it if he wants to rule over a world of chaos and war – because even though he is here, he is _dead_. He isn’t fully powerful, hence why he can’t get out of Atror.«

There was a thick silence between them, Minho almost jumping at the feeling of Jeongin changing his position on his lap and yawning cutely. He would’ve cooed at the sight if it wasn’t for the heavy atmosphere in the dining room right now.  
The Commandment leaned forward and looked at Minho through cyan-glowing eyes; it was the first time Minho actually saw the Wizard’s colour and he was surprised it wasn’t yellow, because he was the Wizard of Thunder. It suited him though, weirdly enough.

Namjoon didn’t drop the eye contact for even a second as he said, «What is your weakness, Minho?«  
The Warlock startled. «What?«, he blurted out and started thinking. Apart from the pretty obvious things that could hurt every human, there weren’t actually any weaknesses Minho knew. His frown seemed to be enough of an answer for Namjoon, since he laughed quietly and nodded as if he was satisfied with him, «Yes, same; I don’t really have one either. Or at least, I thought so. Until I met Seokjin.«

Minho now started to understand what the Wizard was trying to point out and swallowed quietly, «There aren’t many things you’d sacrifice your life for, are there?«  
The Commandment shook his head, «Veteus noticed my weakness before I fully did. And when I did, it was also the moment I started realizing how important Seokjin really is to me. I’d do anything for him, I’d jump into a fire if he’d ask me to do it. He could tell me to stop breathing and I would. Jin is my everything. And Veteus knows this. He knew all along…«

It was almost heart-breaking when Minho first saw them; the tears spilling out of Namjoon’s eyes, the pent up feelings he didn’t let out just to stay calm and help others with their delusional problems, «I…I couldn’t risk losing him. So I told him I want to break up. So I told him that I…that I wasn’t ready to risk this. Not his life. Not when he is my only weakness.«

Honestly, Minho didn’t know what to say. He knew what Namjoon was feeling but would never fully understand it. Because he would never be in the same situation. Namjoon would die for Jin, he’d risk his life and do anything for him. He would give Veteus the Horn of Pacifism without even thinking twice if that meant he could save Jin’s life. But at the same time, he couldn’t. Because giving Veteus the Horn of Pacifism would mean giving him the power to destroy everything. And that was the one thing, Namjoon couldn’t afford either. The one thing he couldn’t live with as well; being responsible for the misery of thousands of people.

Minho cleared his voice and gained Namjoon’s attention, placing Jeongin on the table and beckoning him to go cheer the Commandment up a little bit. The fox, though hesitant as to not alert or trigger Namjoon in any way, walked over and softly started rubbing his head against the Wizard’s hand, silently asking him to get petted. «My dream…«, Minho started and swallowed the lump in his throat upon thinking about what he had been dreaming off, «Ever since I was a child, I was pushing people away. I know that I can’t love anyone, I shouldn’t, and I mustn’t. Though, with time flying and while meeting new people, I slowly started to ignore the things I shouldn’t do. And nothing ever happened. But the dream…I knew, while dreaming, that this wasn’t real. So I decided to do all the things I really mustn’t do. The things I must never actually do with…_him_. Admiring him, thinking about him, even just touching him. Just allowing myself to do all of the things I can’t do in real life. Because…it was _just a dream_, right?«  
He didn’t intent to, but Minho chuckled darkly, «But nightmares are dreams too. You asked me about my weakness? I guess to me, _he_ is my Seokjin. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he’d die because of me. And he did. In this dream, he did. The difference is; while you aren’t at fault, while Seokjin’s life could only be in danger because of _someone_ _else_, I couldn’t blame anyone but myself. It would be _my_ fault.«

There was silence between the two of them, until Namjoon suddenly said, «So Hyunjin _does_ have a point and you _really_ _should_ stay away from him. Why are you being so persistent then? If you know that you _could_ be the one thing that kills him…why?«  
Minho wasn’t surprised that the Commandment knew. He also wasn’t surprised that he knew that this was about Jisung. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the empty cup of tea in his hands, «Because while I know I can’t have him, I also need him to be save at all times. When he’s not here, I feel empty. I feel nothing but void. I feel…I feel alone and cold. I need him by my side to function. And I know I need to stop this because I shouldn’t feel like this. But I can’t.«  
Namjoon remained silent as Minho laughed sarcastically – a dark chuckle, not happy or joyful at all.  
«I honestly envy you a little bit. Because it doesn’t really matter how you’d choose – you would die either way, in some form of punishment. But I would’ve to live with the misery of having killed him. There are worse things than dying…«, he said and stood up.

A sigh left Minho’s lips, wondering if he had been too harsh and drifted off too much into his own small world of problems. Though, the Commandment listened intently when he continued, «Don’t worry. We will get Seokjin and the others out of there. We will not let Veteus play us like that. So please…don’t cry anymore. I promise you, he’ll be fine. They all will.«  
«You shouldn’t promise things you can’t say for sure«, Namjoon answered.

But Minho only smirked, «I don’t. I know for a fact that they will be fine.«

And while Namjoon stared at Minho’s retreating form confused, Jeongin following the Warlock immediately, only Minho himself knew how true his words truly were.

\-----

Later that day, when everyone was awake, Ryujin had asked all of them to come to the infirmary. Though, no one knew why. Minho was rather reluctant to go but didn’t know how to speak himself out of it without seeming suspicious to Hyunjin, so he went anyways.  
That didn’t mean he tried to hide how moody he was.

Ryujin seemed rather nervous when they all arrived, biting her nails anxiously and walking up and down in front of Jinyoung’s bed.  
She only stopped pacing once Hyunjin asked her what’s wrong (the Sin of Pride definitely noticed how persistent Jeongin was following Minho’s every step but didn’t bring it up now).  
«I noticed something on Park Jinyoung’s body when I was doing a check-up and I don’t like it. It’s really…weird and it glows and pulsates and _argh_-…!«

Namjoon frowned, «It _pulsates_ and _glows_? What does?«

The girl stepped up to Jinyoung’s bed and lifted the covers, gently holding his shirt open so everyone could look at his heart. It was glowing in a persistent dark-green light, pulsating through his skin as if the poor organ would suddenly burst.  
«See?!«, Ryujin exclaimed and let go of the shirt, stepping back anxiously when Hyunjin took her place and observed the glowing heart.  
He mimicked Namjoon’s frown from earlier, «I’ve never seen anything like this. But I can feel divine power – it’s definitely not human.«

«Well the question is«, Byeonghee said and gained everyone’s attention, «Is it just a divine spell on his heart or is his heart literally not human? Because that would make _him_ divine as well.«  
«I don’t know«, Hyunjin shrugged, «I can only sense the divine power, I don’t know if it’s his own or not since I don’t know him.«

That was weird. Minho sighed and observed the glowing heart as well, watching it pulsate strongly. It looked painful but Jinyoung was lying there as if nothing was wrong. Though, there was no doubt he was in pain. Well at least that explained why the hellhounds took him to hell. If he really _did_ have something divine in him, he would’ve been their greatest snack of all time.

He still didn’t understand who summoned the hounds and why? Certainly not for _just a snack_.

Minho hissed loudly when Jeongin suddenly dug his claws into his shoulders (he had been sitting there for almost two hours, refusing to leave), his fur standing up as a shudder went through his small fox body, _«Master, someone entered your house without permission again.«_

A groan left Hyunjin’s throat, «How come I can’t just have _one_ _single_ _free day_ for once?!«

But Minho had other problems. The second Jeongin shuddered again, seemingly because someone else entered the house through the portal, he felt his heart drop to his feet and his breath failing him for just a moment. He felt light, like all the bad vibes and every moody bit of his feelings disappeared into thin air. He wanted to run off this instant. He wanted to walk ahead, go, and see it for himself, pinch his arm as to be sure that this wasn’t another one of his dreams.

But he forced himself to stay rooted, hearing Ednera’s voice in the back of his mind loud and clearly, almost as if she weren’t dead, **_«I put a protection spell around your heart. I can’t help you other than that. It’ll protect you as some sort of…wall. As long as you behave yourself, that is.«_**

And so, he behaved.

He walked slowly behind Hyunjin, watching him opening the door just as achingly slow. He knew that Hyunjin had no idea who it was, couldn’t feel Jisung like Minho did (that this was rather bad, Minho chose to ignore for now). Hyunjin was prepared for everything, holding his glowing hand up just in case he had to defend himself. Though, as soon as the door was fully open, they all saw the people they were about to talk about today. The people they wanted to rescue, the people they thought were trapped in Atror.

Chanyeol and Seokjin were throwing words at each other, Seokjin scolding Chanyeol for teleporting faster than he did and arriving about ten seconds too early with Seungmin, while Seungmin himself just stood there and rolled his eyes.  
And Jisung…?  
Jisung was sitting on the floor his head in his hands and whining about how dizzy he felt and that he didn’t want to throw up again (Minho was going to ask him later why he had to threw up already today). Seungmin laughed at him once he noticed Jisung’s dizzy state.

They didn’t seem to notice all of them standing in the doorway to the portal room until Seokjin dismissed Chanyeol’s argument with a huff and just so happened to look at the door. Minho immediately noticed that Jin was staring at Namjoon in some sort of shocked daze, though, the Commandment nodded, turned around and walked away with an unreadable expression on his face. No one said anything or followed Namjoon.  
«Why are you staring at us like that?«, Seungmin asked and walked up to Hyunjin, waving his head in front of the Warlock’s face questioningly, «Hello? Earth to Hwang Hyunjin? Are you the-…!«

All of a sudden Hyunjin snapped his fingers at Seungmin’s forehead and earned a cute _‘Ouch’_, though immediately got glared at by Seungmin, «What the hell?! What was that for?!«  
«As far as you knew, I could’ve still been in hell! And the first thing you say is, _why are you staring at me like that_?! I thought you guys are trapped in Atror, I was worried sick!«

Seungmin shut up immediately, not daring to snap back at Hyunjin upon realizing that the Sin was _actually_ mad.

Minho softly patted his best friend’s shoulder and only walked further towards his goal once he felt the muscles in Hyunjin’s shoulder relax fully.  
When he stood in front of Jisung, he leaned down and had to supress a laugh at the miserable sight. It seemed like Jisung really wasn’t the type to teleport, his body not getting used to it at all, «Are you alright?«

The question seemed so distant, so…_heavy_. Minho was obviously talking about the magic potion expert’s dizziness but couldn’t deny that he secretly meant something entirely different.  
«I am now«, Jisung answered and Minho felt his eyes widening once his brain processed the words. Jisung smiled gently and nudged the Warlock’s sleeve softly, «Can you help me up though, I think I’m really going to show you whatever is left in my stomach otherwise.«

Minho couldn’t help laughing this time.

\-----

It felt weird. _Something_ was weird. Minho couldn’t quite pinpoint what, but something felt weird. Maybe it was the wall Ednera had built up around his heart. Or maybe, just maybe, he even imagined it. But Jisung was definitely trying to stay away from him.

After they had all greeted each other, they went eating lunch and after that, everyone decided to rest for now and talk about the important things later. No one said anything about something important, almost as if it was forbidden – it was some sort of unspoken rule not to talk about the _‘let’s save a whole ass city’_-situation until everyone was well-rested and actually had the nerves to deal with this.

Of course, Minho was no exception – he also went to his bedroom to try and catch some well needed sleep. But first, he had had to discuss with Jeongin about how the small nine-tailed fox should stop following his every step because Hyunjin would definitely catch on otherwise. Jeongin barely followed Minho around like this, he barely followed _anyone_ around like this. He only did it when he felt that something was going on, for example when someone was sick. Hence why Jeongin usually sat around in the infirmary with Ryujin when Hyunjin didn’t need him of course.

After almost thirty minutes, he managed to chase him away though, promising Jeongin that he’d summon him if he’d need anything.  
Minho wasn’t sick, he was just tired. And the scratches on his arms were nothing he wasn’t used to or couldn’t deal with.

So, with a sigh heavily exhaled, he finally entered his bedroom and closed the door behind himself, almost jumping like a cat when he heard a familiar voice say, «What kind of scratches were you talking about with Jeongin?«  
Minho stared at Jisung and stepped further inside the room, stopping in front of the bed Jisung was currently lying in. It seemed like he had tried to sleep but couldn’t because of the discussion Minho had had with the young fox. And that this shouldn’t be normal for Minho, the simple fact that Jisung would sleep in his bed and not his own, was – once again – purposefully ignored.  
«It’s nothing«, he decided to say. Though, he wasn’t surprised when Jisung sat up and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down next to him on the soft bed and playing with the edges of his long sleeve shirt. Minho knew that Jisung wanted to see them, probably already knew, or at least assumed why he had scratches – the magic potion expert had experienced it himself after all.

Another sigh left his lips, way softer now though, as he pulled up the sleeves and watched Jisung’s reaction closely. Admittedly, his scratches were worse than the one’s Jisung had – there were more, definitely deeper and they had therefore stained the bandages he had loosely wrapped around his arms this morning. Jisung didn’t say anything, didn’t gasp either, not even when he removed the bandages and saw the wounds littered all over the inside of his forearm.  
He stood up without uttering a single word, disappearing into the bathroom, and coming back with a medical kit Minho had stored inside there. He opened it and simply started cleaning the wounds without saying anything, his brows furrowed and an almost disappointed pout on his lips.

Minho had to forcefully keep his free hand on his thighs so he wouldn’t poke Jisung’s cheeks.

_Behave yourself_, he told himself and hissed when Jisung had to dig a little deeper to clean the wound thoroughly.  
When the wound was perfectly cleaned, he frowned and said, «I think I need a healing potion for this to heal properly or else I’d have to stitch it or it would get infected. Let me go ask Hyunjin if he has any potion’s stored or if I can make one real quick-…«  
Minho held him back when Jisung wanted to stand up.

_So much to behaving yourself, Minho_, he thought and bit his lip. He couldn’t afford him ratting him out to Hyunjin, still not wanting the Sin to know about the scratches. «Don’t. He doesn’t know that I had this kind of dream. And I don’t want him to know either…«

Jisung seemed hesitant but in the end nodded reluctantly, sitting back down on his spot on the bed and rummaging through the medical kit, «I guess I’ll have to stitch them then…«

And Minho absolutely did not have anything against that. He would even say it was one of his favourite moments with the magic potion expert so far. Not because of the situation itself, hell no, the stitches hurt even though Jisung had used the expired torpidity (hence why it probably didn’t really work).  
No, he liked the moment because of how Jisung was. He was concentrated, eyes focused on treating the wounds on Minho’s arm, cheeks slightly puffing up whenever he exhaled in order to stitch him up thoroughly and calm. The Warlock, again, told himself to behave.  
_But that doesn’t mean I can’t allow myself to admire him…_, he thought and did just that. Watching him, nothing else. Looking at how his light-blonde hair seemed to get even lighter in winter, almost as platinum as Felix’s roots. How his long lashes softly touched his cheeks whenever he blinked or closed his eyes for a few seconds to calm his nerves and focus again. How his nose scrunched up like a bunny’s nose whenever he thought he did something wrong. How he pursed his lips when Minho couldn’t help wincing slightly whenever he inserted the needle. How he softly, probably without even noticing it, started humming a faint melody as soon as he was concentrated again.

Minho couldn’t help but stare, couldn’t help but admire all the little things about Jisung.

He closed his eyes, listening more closely to the melody he was humming, feeling like he was floating. It was almost intoxicating, really. When he opened his eyes again, Jisung was still humming the melody, finishing up his work with a proud smile and a satisfied nod. He stopped humming, but the melody remained in Minho’s head like a mantra. He watched Jisung’s lip move but didn’t hear what he said.  
_Just…one kiss_, he thought and continued to stare, _it won’t hurt…will it?_

But just when he was about to lean forward, just when he felt Jisung’s breath on his face and felt that the other went completely still, there was a sudden pull at his heart. He had felt it, definitely. It was like waking up when he blinked, it felt like he had just inhaled the strong scent of some hypnotizing plant; definitely the effect of the thing Ednera put around his heart.  
He noticed that he was hovering over Jisung. He also noticed that the magic potion expert stared up at him with a mixture of dizziness and shock.

Minho blinked again and immediately retreated from the other, staring at the bed in utter confusion. He didn’t remember doing any of that.  
«Do you hear me?«, Jisung asked and sat up as well, «You didn’t seem to hear me earlier…«

The Warlock frowned dumbfounded and nodded, clearing his voice, «Y-Yes, I’m sorry. I just…I didn’t sleep that much, I apologize. We should both…get some rest as well. Before talking about what had happened and all of that…you know.«

Jisung didn’t seem to buy it but nodded. Soon after, they were both lying in Minho’s bed, Jisung curled up against him and softly breathing in and out.

While Minho was still thinking about the melody.

The melody that lured him in, the melody that was stuck in his head and every time he looked at Jisung, it seemed to get louder in his mind.

The melody Minho was sure he had never heard in his entire life before…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weelllll :DDDD  
how did you like it???  
we got to hear some reallllyyy deep tea regarding namjin>< i love their relationship and I promise, they will get better fiefnefonfiwnff  
i hope you understand how dangerous it would be if Veteus would get Jin. We know that they escaped now and Veteus does not have anything against Joon-ie. BUT, Jin is his only weakness and you should keep that in mind O-O  
you guys also got to know some...subtle things from Minho. As I said, I can't really tell you all his secrets for a while. But you'll get more glimpses of his thoughts and his view in general.  
I guess it doesn't hurt to tell you guys that Minho and Jisung share more than just some interests or the bed... :DDD
> 
> ANYWHOS  
as always, thank you so much for reading uwu  
if you have any questions or theories, feel free to share~
> 
> stay healthy and don't yeet yourself out of anywhere except it's school- no just kidding, go to school guys lmao education is important (what am I talking about)  
love youuuu <33


	20. elixir of silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CHAPTER
> 
> i just wanted to say that lmao  
personally, i think it's quite funny (somehow) and I really had the time of my life writing this.  
And also - finally - you'll be able to meet someone new. For real this time and I'm loving it.
> 
> OKAY enough talking - have fun reading uwuwu

**Elixir of Silence;  
sometimes, honestly, people just want other people to shut up. Though, the Elixir of Silence does not function like that and it’s also not its purpose. The Elixir of Silence was originally invented as a sacrifice for funerals, implicating that while visiting them, you’d have to be respectful and always keep the dead’s secrets what they were; secrets. It does have an actual effect if you’d drink it, don’t worry; by having just a sip of the Elixir of Silence, you won’t be able to talk for exactly one week. The effect is really strong and making this potion takes two weeks – the time traditionally spend to think about your dead beloved one’s before the funeral. Though, nowadays, only the conservative people of the Temple actually still follow this rite. And on top of that, the true meaning and effect of this mysterious potion remains just as secret, as the things you know about your ancestors and dead friends.  
It would be interesting to know what would happen if someone with divine power would add some little thingy inside the potion…wouldn’t it?**

This wasn’t any different than the other places he had slept in up until now. On Jisung’s worst days, he had been sleeping on nothing but cold wood. This was a high quality, luxurious mattress, bought by probably Hyunjin or his father. This was no different from the mattresses he had been sleeping on in this house.  
So why did this mattress feel entirely different?

Jisung released a pent up sigh and messily ran his hands through his hair in the most frustrated way he probably had ever done. He knew for a fact that he now looked like a walking bush. Though, there was no doubt that Seungmin did _not_ stare at him like that because of his dishevelled hair.

The young priest closed his slightly open mouth and sighed, «I’ve been trying to sleep because I have exactly one hour left to do so before we have to talk about whatever we all experienced within the last couple of days. And suddenly, you come inside my room, plump down on my bed and start rolling around like some dying fish on my mattress. Are you finally, _really_, going nuts now?«

In any other situation, Jisung would’ve glared at his best friend. But he knew himself that he couldn’t do that now – because his behaviour probably _did_ seem pretty crazy.  
Here’s the thing.  
He didn’t intent to come in here and just freak out on the inside without saying anything. It’s just that he couldn’t sleep. He tried, and for approximately fifteen minutes, it worked. Really.

But then, out of nowhere, he was wide awake.

Oh but don’t worry, Jisung knew _exactly_ why.

He just needed Seungmin to connect the dots for him because he was in denial and couldn’t deal with this alone. Though, he didn’t say anything yet and a small part of his brain was hoping that the young priest figured it out on his own.

Of course, that would not be the case, as Seungmin now looked rather pissed-off.  
«Stop looking at me like that without saying anything. I might’ve practiced the way of the gods, but I can’t read your fucking thoughts«, he said and Jisung started pouting offended – even though he knew that this didn’t work with Seungmin. Not at all. It never did. And it probably never will either.  
«_Han Jisung _you have exactly three seconds to open your goddamn mouth and say what the freaking fuck you want, or I’ll _personally kick your ass out of this room and possibly to hell_.«   
And _Han Jisung_ was not foolish enough _yet_ to not be scared of the dangerous tone in Seungmin’s voice at the end of his threat, especially if he called him by his full name. That was scary, okay?

So, instead of staring like a pouting, desperate puppy, he sat up and groaned again, ruffling his hair some more, «The mattress! Why is it different?!«  
«…The mattress?«, Seungmin repeated and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, «…Maybe it’s older? Or newer than yours? I don’t know, ask Hyunjin.«

«Why don’t you ask him, he’s _your_ lover«, Jisung bit back and immediately regretted it when the other stopped in his movement and full on stared at him with a blank face.  
«Repeat that please«, Seungmin said and Jisung shook his head quietly, «Thought so. What is your problem, are you _trying_ to get kicked?«  
Honestly, Jisung didn’t really know himself.

He knew that he was a pain in the ass right now and he also knew that Seungmin was tired (though, the lover thing with Hyunjin was not a lie, at least not in Jisung’s opinion). But the knowledge of being annoying wasn’t enough for him to stop this.   
Instead, he laid back down on the mattress and rolled around again, «I’m just so confused! I’ve never slept on such comfortable and expensive mattresses before I came here! So why am I so picky with the mattress?!«  
«How can you be picky, did you test every mattress of this house before we all came here?«, Seungmin sounded confused. Of course he did, he didn’t understand the context of Jisung’s actual problem here.

And that was almost more frustrating than the actual problem itself, so Jisung sat up again and looked at his best friend with a sigh, «I’ve been sleeping in Minho’s bed for more than a month!«  
To his surprise, Seungmin didn’t look surprised or even interested. He raised a brow again and shrugged lightly, «I think the only ones who don’t know that _we_ know yet are you and _Mister_ _Attractive_ himself. Jeongin was ratting you out about how your own smell mingles all over Minho’s and vice versa. All. The. Time.«

A smug grin set itself on Seungmin’s face, «You can think about me and Hyunjin what you want but unlike you, I haven’t been cuddling up to him at night.«  
«Yet…«, Jisung mumbled and avoided the kick directed at his shinbone, «But unlike _me_, _your_ bedroom is directly in front of Hyunjin’s! Which is pretty cute if we think about it, because he has the master bedroom and the rooms in this floors are traditionally for important guests only.«

Seungmin blushed, «S-Shut up! I don’t need to hear your enhanced memory information about etiquette and traditions!«  
Jisung was rather satisfied with himself – there was almost no feeling as good as successfully arguing the smug grin out of Seungmin’s face.

The young priest send a last glare towards him and then leant back on the commode behind him, crossing his arms and looking at Jisung with his resting bitch face again – he was back in the mood.  
«Now. I think I figured it out – mattresses, sleeping, rooms; this definitely is a Minho-thing, isn’t it?«  
Jisung scowled, «Fuck you.«  
«Good, I’m right then«, Seungmin ignored the insult; back was his grin, «I guess you can’t sleep next to your boyfriend anymore. The question is; why, all of a sudden?«

Jisung swallowed and avoided looking at his best friend.

The _Why_ of this whole matter didn’t sit well with him and if there’s one thing he hated, it was agreeing with Seungmin. Because that mostly meant he was right. And _that_ was annoying.

Pictures flooded his mind as Seungmin continued staring him down, knowing that Jisung will eventually break and rant about it because he couldn’t deal with the stares and the grins.

Obviously, Jisung didn’t intent to react like that. But he also didn’t expect Minho to suddenly be so near, to suddenly look at him like _that_, to suddenly push him down on the mattress – the goddamn mattress! – and leaning in, more and more. And worst of it all was that Jisung, while being tense and not knowing what to do, in a state of utter shock…didn’t feel like he _disliked_ it.

Now, don’t get him wrong! It was no secret that he thought Minho is…attractive. And even he himself knew how undeniably clingy and disgustingly harmonic they must seem to the others. But that didn’t mean that he could act like nothing happened at all, like his heart didn’t beat thousands of beats, that his face wasn’t red and that he wasn’t, a little bit, a tiny little bit…

…disappointed.

And when Minho finally fell asleep after fifteen minutes, he had started to get touchier – probably without even noticing it because he was asleep and people do weird things when they sleep, unintentionally and yet totally intentional. Feeling Minho’s arms around his waist, his breath on his face and being so near, his lips only centimetres away from his and-…

«Hello? Jisung, are you listening?«, Seungmin interrupted his thoughts and Jisung whipped his head up, realizing that he had been zoning out. He also knew that his face was red.  
«I may or may not have experienced a physical situation with M-Minho?«, Jisung murmured finally.

Seungmin remained silent at first – at least until he stopped blinking dumbfounded and seemed to realize what he just heard, his eyes widening at last, «Excuse me, _what_?!«  
«He-…he just-…out of nowhere and I-…he-…!«, he stumbled over his own words, not knowing how to explain it, getting redder once he saw his best friend’s impatient glare, «He-…pushed me down…o-on the mattress-…«

«He…pushed you into the mattress«, Seungmin repeated dumbfounded and Jisung almost exploded at the sheer image, «Don’t say it like that, it sounds like we-…«  
«…fucked? Did you?«  
Jisung was now the one staring dumbfounded, opening, and closing his mouth, unable to say anything, until his face got even warmer and he hid it inside his palms.

Seungmin seemed to interpret that wrongly, «Oh my freaking god he _deflowered_ you?!«  
«No! Seungmin, no, what the-…no!«, Jisung just wanted to tell him that he should shut up when Seungmin’s bedroom door suddenly flied open and Seokjin and Chanyeol stood in the doorway, staring in utter shock, «Who deflowered my pure Jisung-ie?!«  
Chanyeol wiped away a fake tear, «Jin-ie, they grow up so fast…«

«_No one_ deflowered me, close the fucking door or get out!«, Jisung hissed and – unsurprisingly – Chanyeol and Seokjin stepped inside, closing the door behind them, with really eager looks on their (dumb) faces.  
«Well if no one deflowered you, what kind of spicy things happened then?«, Jin asked.  
The potion expert didn’t even get to open his mouth when Seungmin already answered for him, «Minho pushed him into his mattress.«

«Are you sure he didn’t fuck you? Maybe you just forgot because he was that good?«, Chanyeol wondered as if this was the most scientific question he had ever asked himself.  
«You think Minho is _that_ good?«, Jin answered and frowned.   
Seungmin started stroking his imaginary beard, «I mean, he _does_ look like sex on legs…«

Jisung honestly didn’t know how his dilemma about not being able to sleep anymore in the only place he actually could get _some_ sleep turned into a conversation about Minho’s sex-skills.

Skills Jisung definitely _never_ thought of before.

«How would you two know, by the way«, Seungmin suddenly said and pointed an accusing finger at the two Commandments, «I doubt you ever had sex.«  
«Excuse you?«, Chanyeol said and pointed a finger at the priest as well, seemingly just because he wanted to, «For your information, there is a difference between lust and love!«

Jisung groaned but got ignored by all of them as if this didn’t start with a rumour about his virginity.  
«So you had sex?«, Seungmin asked and they all watched as Chanyeol nodded slowly.  
«We are allowed to love, it is a commandment after all. And even the Goddess can’t punish us for having feelings. Acting lustful, that’s a sin. So basically, Jin, you and Namjoon could’ve definitely get it on wi-…«  
«This was about Minho having sexual intercourse with Jisung, wasn’t it«, Jin interrupted with a tight lipped, dangerous smile and almost immediately, everyone turned to look at Jisung.

Who was not ready to talk to all of them about this. He would’ve preferred to hear them talking about Chanyeol’s sex life. More or less.  
He looked away with blushing cheeks, «…We didn’t have sex, you idiots…«  
«You sound disappointed«, Chanyeol stated and Jisung threw a pillow at his face, «I am not! I didn’t even think about doing that with him!«

«Yeah sure«, Seungmin said and scoffed, «I know for a fact that Hyunjin had thought about it multiple times and they are like brothers. Lie to yourself as often as you want but you can’t fool _me_.«  
_Now_, Jisung didn’t know what to say. Because, to his own shock,_ Seungmin was right_.

Dammit.

Minho _was_ attractive and no one in this room even thought about the possibility of the Warlock not being good at…_it_. Given the fact that he used to live in Atror, Jisung had absolutely no doubt he was pretty popular in school and his neighbourhood or maybe even in the whole sorcerer’s district. The mere thought of what Minho _could_ be able to do to anyone was enough for Jisung’s face to turn bright red again.  
«He’s definitely thinking about it«, Chanyeol commented and Jisung threw Seungmin’s second pillow at his face. Seokjin sighed pitying, «You should’ve taken the chance when he pushed you into the mattress. Honestly, that must’ve been hot.«

_Oh, it was hot_, Jisung thought. In every possible way existing, to be honest. But he would never agree on that nor say it openly.

Seungmin clicked his tongue, «So just to make this clear; you came into my room, rolling around on my bed, because you realized that Minho’s bed is the only place you can actually sleep, and you thought it’s because of the mattress itself? But you actually have a panicked gay moment and now you’re being all shy about almost getting fu-…«  
«If any one of you says _fuck_ or _anything_ _related_ _to_ _that_ _word_ again, I will personally drown you in a potion pot«, Jisung interrupted his best friend and they all nodded silently.  
«…You are in denial«, Seungmin finally finished his sentence carefully and while Chanyeol and Seokjin both nodded, Jisung shook his head immediately.

«I am not.«

Honestly, he didn’t know who he was lying for.

\-----

A sneeze interrupted Namjoon’s and Byeonghee’s eager discussion about whether or not mint chocolate was good or bad.  
They both turned their head towards Minho, and he rubbed at his nose, «I think someone’s talking about me«, he said and earned grins from the two Sorcerers. 

Minho woke up about thirty minutes ago to an empty bed (he had barely slept twenty minutes), Jisung had been gone and he couldn’t help thinking that it was his fault. Though, it wasn’t like Jisung didn’t have a reason to go. The Warlock wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if the latter would’ve pushed him down like that. Okay, maybe not _like_ _that_ – <strike>maybe more in a _‘sitting on his hips’_-kind of way…</strike>

…maybe just _different_, how about that?

A sigh left his lips as he took a sip of his tea. He stopped in his motion once he realized that the two others were still staring at him with knowing, annoying grins spread on their faces. Minho set his cup of tea down and glared, «What do you want?«  
«You seem in a bad mood and Jisung avoids you. That sounds a lot like trouble in paradise to me«, Namjoon said.  
«How do you know he avoids me?«, Minho asked, already regretting it when Byeonghee leaned back in his chair as if he was interrogating him, «Because it was obvious during lunch and I don’t see why else you would be in a bad mood, given the fact that your boyfriend came back to you in one piece.«

Minho scowled and glared some more, «He is not my boyfriend.«  
«Whatever makes you sleep at night. Now, tell us what you did«, Namjoon nonchalantly said.

For some really weird reason, Minho had a good relationship with Byeonghee and Namjoon. They barely knew each other and yet, it felt good and comfortable to talk to them, just sitting here, and drinking tea in front of the chimney in Hyunjin’s salon. He knew for a fact that they both knew enough to understand his struggles and he also knew that they could possibly help him. But Minho wouldn’t be Minho if he’d just spill his problems to anyone.

Byeonghee sighed after a few minutes of silence, «I know we haven’t been friends for long but I’ve been questioning something ever since we first met and actually talked.«  
«And I suppose it’s about me?«, Minho said and watched the Sin of Wrath raise an eyebrow at him, almost as if he was a riddle to solve.  
In some way, he was.  
«Why are you doing this? Hiding and repressing your full potential when we all – well, most of us – know what you’re _truly_ capable of?«, he asked.

For some reason, Minho didn’t expect that question. He suspected that especially those who didn’t know him for years like Hyunjin or Jeongin would be confused, even more than his closest friends probably already were anyways. But even though they knew the truth, that didn’t mean they understood his situation, his feelings, and thoughts.

How could they? After all, they were powerful but even they couldn’t read minds or predict the future, see in his head, or understand Minho’s thoughts. He barely understood them himself.

Taking a sip from his tea again, Minho sighed, «At first, I was just alert. Suspicious of him, unsure if I should really trust him.«  
«You forced Jeongin – a nine-tailed fox who has a pact with another warlock and therefore has no obligation to listen to anyone else but his Master – to turn around because you felt the danger before the people in Orlon even knew it was there«, Namjoon interfered nonchalantly, «You disrespected Jeongin’s Master and made him break a rule as well. Jeongin should’ve brought you back without losing any time and he didn’t because of _you_. And you want to tell me you were _suspicious of Jisung-ie_?«

Okay, that did sound idiotic, even in Minho’s own ears. And he knew himself full well that he was lying to Namjoon and Byeonghee. Heck, he was lying to himself.  
«There was…a connection. From the beginning on, I felt drawn to him«, he finally opened up after another set of silence. The others remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue.  
Minho stared at the content of his cup, staring at his own reflection in the tea, «He knew I’m a Warlock. And he embraced me and Jeongin with warmth even though he had no reason to. Even though Enos is such a conservative country, a country lead by the Temple and a country that does not approve of sorcerers of my kind or creatures like Jeongin. In the beginning, I told myself that I returned because I owed him something. Because he deserved to be saved.«

The reflection in the dark substance seemed dull to Minho. He didn’t know how this conversation turned so deep, so honest, so blunt. And even though he never told anyone about this, not even Hyunjin, it felt right to tell Byeonghee and Namjoon. «With time flying by, things happening and us meeting new people more and more…I started to realize that it wasn’t out of sympathy. I wanted to return because I bonded with him without even realizing. He drew me in without knowing, he still does. He’s like a lullaby that forces you to fall asleep, like a sweet scent you can’t help but follow, like a drug you can’t get enough of once you tasted it. I thought that it’s my fault he’s so dependent. That it’s my fault he can’t sleep in his own bed. That it’s my fault he gets jittery when I’m not near…«

A sarcastic laugh left his lips as Minho saw the reflection in his cup shaking, realizing it was because of a tear falling into it – a tear he didn’t even realize he shed, «But after some time, I realized that it wasn’t me who forced him to feel anything. And it wasn’t sympathy. It was just the universe making fun of me, my life being cruel once again and forcing me to want _the_ _one_ _thing_ I can’t have, under no circumstances. Because even if it wasn’t me, even if I know that; I can kill him. If I kill him…I just _can’t_.«

Taking another sip from his cup and brushing away the stray tears on his face, Minho snapped out of his thoughts, «So in the end, I decided not to tell him anything. Because it’s not like we’ll end up together in this story. There is no happy end and there is no reason for me to tell him more about me than necessary. No reason for me to get even closer than I already have without even noticing. Like earlier…«  
«Earlier?«, it was the first time since Minho had started to elaborate that someone interrupted him. In all honesty, he didn’t want to talk about it. But the look Byeonghee send him was enough to symbolize that there was no talking out of this anymore.  
Another sigh left his lips, «I don’t remember when and how it happened. But one second, I was looking at him…and the next, I-…I was hovering over him. Just like that, like someone snapping his fingers and casting a spell on me. I was here…and then I wasn’t anymore. I just snapped, right in front of his eyes and he didn’t stop me, nor did he realize.«

Minho expected them to be disappointed or even disgusted to some extent – he was used to such expressions. But instead, Namjoon frowned, «I don’t think you snapped, honestly.«  
«I might’ve been out of it but I’m not crazy, you know«, he argued.  
«To be honest, I think the same«, Byeonghee interrupted and immediately continued, «Jisung had been sleeping in your bed for weeks now and you never snapped. You didn’t even snap when you felt that something was off. And besides, you’d remember it. You would remember what you’ve done. Every second of it – or do you really think the gods gave you the pleasure to just forget about the things you do when you snap?« A dark chuckle escaped Byeonghee’s throat, his gaze distant and eyes softly glowing in a fiery, bright red, «No. You are forced to watch and deal with what you did after.«

Though he didn’t want to, Minho couldn’t help but swallow tightly and nod solemnly. He didn’t know what to say and therefore decided to shut his mouth.  
«But if I didn’t snap, what happened then? I didn’t drink, in case any of you wondered and I went through a lot more of sleepless nights without acting as distant as that«, he finally said quietly.

They all remained quiet for a while, everyone seemingly thinking about their own things and sipping the rest of their tea.

«I don’t know«, Namjoon said in the end and made eye-contact with Minho. It was intense, full of knowledge and sent shivers down his spine, «But whatever it was, _it wasn’t you_.«

And while Minho swallowed the last sip of his tea, he could hear the melody of the song Jisung had hummed to him in his head.

\-----

Jisung frowned as he examined Jinyoung’s unconscious body, staring at the pulsating heart in his chest, an uncomfortable feeling spreading all over his own body.   
«This is so weird«, he finally said and pouted while softly lifting his eyelids, in hopes that they would stay open. He took the whistle he got from him and blew it, earning confused stares but those got ignored as well.

After talking and getting each other up-to-date, they decided to wake their poor victims first. Though, once Jisung saw the glowing heart of Jinyoung, he was immediately reminded of someone else’s heart that glowed just the same way.

«What on earth are you doing«, Hyunjin finally asked and Jisung turned around, helplessly pointing at the unconscious Jinyoung. He had told them about what he got to know about Veteus and also that he had also had this glowing heart. Namjoon had not been surprised by that, not at all.  
«When me and Seungmin managed to get out of Atror, Veteus just so missed hitting us with an attacking spell. I managed to see him before he vanished again, and his heart glowed the same way! Exactly the same way but in red!«, he explained.

«So? Instead of trying to kill his ears with that whistle, wake him up and get an answer from the person with the glowing heart himself!«, Hyunjin argued dryly.  
Sometimes, he really was an asshole.  
«Well then«, Jisung ignored the Warlock and turned around, grabbing Jin’s wrist while doing so and feeling Jeongin jump onto his shoulders when he passed by Felix’s bed, «I’ll grab Jin and mix the potion. See you later.«

He purposefully tried to look away from the usually bubbly fairy boy.

Namjoon had told them that he’d send Felix out to get something for him because he needed it but couldn’t get it himself. Felix had volunteered to do so, apparently because he didn’t have anything to do anyways. But Jisung knew for a fact that this was a lie and Namjoon and him were hiding something. There were only few places where werewolves were lurking around and somehow, given the fact that Felix’s wounds were pretty deep and even the werewolf himself was pretty badly injured, he had a feeling that Namjoon send them to the desert.

Though, why and for what, he didn’t know. The desert was something like the warning border between Ifith and the deserted kingdom, Vriston. Similar to how no one lived in the kingdom, the desert was off-limits and mostly a hideout for criminals or outcasts. Jisung had seen the scar over the werewolf’s brand and knew that he had been excommunicated from his pack. There was a high chance that he used to live in the desert because of that.

Seeing Felix like that was difficult, his pale face even whiter and his lips blue, his breath barely existing and wounds healing.

«He will wake up soon«, Seokjin said when they were walking down the stairs to Hyunjin’s basement, interrupting Jisung’s whirlwind of thoughts.  
He nodded slowly, «I know. But that _even_ _you_ couldn’t do more for him than healing his inner injuries worried me a lot.«  
Seokjin hummed and held the door to the potion room open for Jisung, softly scratching Jeongin behind his ear for a few seconds, «My magic is too strong for his current condition. He’ll have to get stronger first for me to heal him properly. Same goes to the unknown werewolf. By the way; why didn’t he transform back into a human yet?«

Jisung answered on autopilot, without even noticing he opened his mouth, «Because shifting is extremely straining and doing so in a condition as bad as that can kill a werewolf. He has to crack and readjust all of his bones in order to become human again – doing that with injuries like this is suicidal.«  
«…Okay, thanks for the lecture«, Jin joked and Jisung rolled his eyes, preparing the ingredients he needed to mix yet another pot of the awakening potion.

It was mostly quiet while he was working, his mind remembering everything and Jeongin’s soft purrs and tabs of his paws calming him down every now and then. He and Jin exchanged some small talk, the elder telling him the lamest dad-jokes he had ever heard.   
After some time – Jisung was halfway through and was currently waiting for Jeongin to return with a little bit of Hyunjin’s blood for the unholy ingredient – Seokjin suddenly said, «Why do you think he turned around and left once he saw me?«

Jisung needed a few seconds to catch onto what the Wizard was talking about, cracking his neck absentmindedly. He frowned but remembered seeing Namjoon when they arrived at Hyunjin’s mansion this noon. Though, he had felt dizzy and was distracted talking to Minho, he had seen the Wizard walking away with a grim expression on his face.  
The magic potion expert figured that talking around the bush wouldn’t help Jin and it wasn’t like the Commandment didn’t know what Jisung thought about their relationship. So he shrugged and decided to be completely honest with him, «I guess he was worried about you, but couldn’t really show it because he was too afraid of your reaction. After all, you two still didn’t really talk that much. Especially not about your feelings and problems.«

Seokjin laughed softly, «Kim Namjoon? Afraid? Seems like a dream to me. There is nothing Namjoon fears, he’s an overall perfect man. That’s why he left me after all – to maintain that perfectness and continue being that perfect Commandment he is.«  
Jisung frowned again, this time in a more scolding way, and crossed his arms, «Jin, you know that he isn’t like that and I’m sure he didn’t break up with you because he was afraid of getting punished.«  
«Well, if you want to believe that, maybe it was better that Minho didn’t actually deflower you – you’re too naïve for your own good«, the Commandment answered and immediately shut his mouth after, looking down in shame, «I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just get like this when I’m-…«  
«Angry? Confused? Disappointed and sad? I get that«, Jisung said and watched Jin’s shocked face morph into a soft smile.

A smile covered with sadness as he said, «I just…I don’t understand. Even if we would’ve broken a rule – he wouldn’t have been the one who died. I am the purity not him. So why is he so afraid?«

Jisung bit his lip. Seokjin obviously didn’t understand what was actually going on here. Of course, Jisung could only guess and he didn’t really know Namjoon. But given the fact that he, too, was still wearing the promise ring and he, too, was worried about him and awkward and couldn’t deal with things related to Jin right now…kind of made it seem like he was everything but the bad guy in this story.  
That didn’t mean that Jisung thought Seokjin was overreacting or didn’t have a reason to be mad and disappointed. But he also thought that a relationship needs two people and the burden of it can’t be carried by just one side. Jin was nice and a really good person, but he had a really weird view of himself and other people. Maybe, he just wanted to believe that Namjoon was a bad person who only thought about himself – because acting like the love wasn’t here anymore was easier when you tried to hate that person.

Though, feelings don’t work like this and Jin clearly didn’t get that yet.

«Please don’t kill me but, you’re an idiot, Seokjin«, Jisung finally answered and momentarily focused on Jeongin, when he tapped back inside and gave Jisung a phial with a little bit of Hyunjin’s blood in it, dropping it into the potion. Before the Wizard could even open his mouth to say anything, he continued nonchalantly, «You said Namjoon doesn’t know fear and yet, you realized he’s afraid of something. That doesn’t match, you know that as well, right? And not only that – I think you know for a fact why Namjoon turned around and left. What did you expect him to do? Run up to you? Embrace you? Kiss your face and give you a little star in your homework book? Be honest with yourself Seokjin, the true asshole in this relationship is you.«

Jisung didn’t know and also didn’t care if Seokjin was quiet because he was offended, rendered speechless or maybe even left for good halfway through his brutally honest speech. He didn’t mean to sound as rude as that but Seokjin seemed more and more like the type of person who wouldn’t get it until you spelled it out for them.  
Like he said, Jisung doesn’t know Namjoon. But he knows his position and he also knows how the human brain works. He’s read enough novels and heard enough stories from his mother back when he was younger about love to understand what people do for their soulmates, their loved ones. No, Namjoon wasn’t the asshole who broke up with his fiancé because he was afraid of getting a punishment for it. Definitely not.  
And it just bugged Jisung so hard that Seokjin still tried to be the only victim here.

He risked a short glance to check if the Wizard was still there and to his surprise, Jin still sat there, on his stool, pursing his lips and looking down but not saying anything.  
Jisung decided to continue in a neutral voice, «Have you ever thought about what could be the worst thing for Namjoon to go through?«  
Jin simply shrugged, not exactly answering the question but indicating that he was listening. The magic potion expert sighed and said, «I think if there is one thing he is afraid of, it’s losing _you_. I think that’s why he went to the portal room but left just like that. That’s why he broke up with you but still wears that promise ring. Of course he would’ve gotten punished if you’d just so much as break a rule. But you said it yourself, Seokjin; _he_ would have gotten away somehow because _you_ are the Commandment of Purity…«

Jisung was done with the potion mixing, taking a clean phial, and walking over to Seokjin to gather the last ingredient, the most important ingredient of them all. He crouched down in front of the Wizard’s seat and softly raised his chin with his hand, a warm but sad smile lingering on his lips as he raised the phial and caught a tear that just rolled down the older’s cheek as he said, «…Namjoon wasn’t afraid of getting punished himself. He was afraid of having to live with the knowledge that you both decided to do this, but you would’ve been the only one who had to pay with your life.«

\-----

«Seungmin, can you please get off me«, Jisung said and tried to push his best friend away from the potion he just filled into a bottle. After being done with mixing it, Jisung set Jeongin on Seokjin’s shoulders and ordered the fox to calm him down and be nice, the Wizard sniffling and crying some more. They remained in the basement until the Commandment had calmed down enough to speak properly. When asked if his eyes were red and puffy, Jisung simply smiled and shook his head, though, he was scared what the Wizard would do to him once he found out that he had been lied to.

If the gazes thrown at him were anything to go by, he probably already noticed, Jisung tried to ignore the glares he felt in the back of his head and felt even saver once he realized that Minho stared right back at Jin with such an intense gaze, that the Wizard eventually gave up killing him with his eyes.

Now, Seungmin was eagerly trying to watch Jisung waking up the unconscious _‘neither-dead-nor-alive’_ people (excluding Felix and the wolf). And he was damn annoying while trying to see it all from the very first row, which – in Seungmin’s opinion – seemed to be Jisung’s own POV.  
«Min-ie, step back! I can’t give them the potion if you’re standing here blocking the way!«, he tried again and earned something between a pout and a glare from Seungmin.  
He huffed, «Excuse me, the only time I’ve seen you doing a potion like that was the Drop of Dusk and I didn’t get to see the effect! My best friend can finally use his magic! I need to see this for myself!«  
«You literally drank the same potion!«, Jisung argued.

In the end, Seungmin settled with standing behind him, watching eagerly over his shoulder how he gave a little sip of the potion to each of the persons who needed it.

They waited for a few seconds and the first person who woke up was Yoora, Chanyeol’s sister. She blinked confused, her soft face frowning upon waking up and seeing so many unknown people and then stared at her brother for a few seconds without saying anything. Eventually, she sat up and frowned, «Where am I…?«  
Jisung knew for a fact that Chanyeol was rather emotional, though, he also felt like this was an effect from his Commandment of Truth – he simply couldn’t lie, neither to other people nor himself. It came to no surprise that he started sobbing and immediately engulfed his sister in a tight hug, her visibly smaller and more fragile body almost drowning in the mass of her brother’s arms. She seemed confused but started petting his hair softly once she realized he was crying, «Yeol-ie…what’s wrong, stop being a big baby. You’re embarrassing me.«

While Chanyeol continued sobbing into his sister’s shoulder, a sudden wave of power went through all of them, even stopping the Commandment’s sobs in an instant.  
Byeonghee was walking so fast to the bed of Reticence that Jisung barely even saw it. The sudden magical power must’ve been him then. When he opened his eyes, the air suddenly felt fresh, the aura around him somehow like a soft breeze at the sea – though, Jisung never actually visited the sea. Honestly, it was similar to when Minho and he got nearer to Zotuna’s altar.  
His eyes glowed navy blue, soft and calming, yet hiding such a deepness that Jisung had to force himself to look away. The glowing stopped and instead revealed chocolate brown eyes which immediately widened upon watching Byeonghee stepping up to him, hugging his surprised flinching body and pressing his forehead against the other’s.

Jisung almost wanted to look away, felt that the others tried to do so as well, the moment way too intimate and yet so endearing that – in the end – no one looked away.  
Byeonghee breathed in a few times, as if the Commandment’s scent was everything he needed and if it wouldn’t have been for the overall quiet in the infirmary, Jisung wouldn’t have heard his soft words, a tender whisper, «I’m sorry…«

Reticence pushed Byeonghee away softly, tilting his head to the side with a somehow quite cute expression on his face, «What are you sorry for…?«  
His voice was bright, a little bit raspy from not using it in quite some time but somehow enticing, nonetheless. Byeonghee visibly tensed, a sudden but only slight pang of hot air flying around the room as he seemed to remember something he didn’t seem to like that much, «For leaving like that. For throwing those words at you and…marching off. For not being there when you needed me the most.«

Jisung obviously had no idea what kind of past the two of them had. Though, it seemed like there was some sort of relationship between them and, as it seems, an argument they never got to get rid of before Reticence got dragged to hell by the hounds. Which must’ve triggered Byeonghee’s rage mode and why he had been walking around aimlessly.  
The Commandment sighed, «Let’s talk about this later. For now…« - he looked past Byeonghee and straight up stared at Jisung, immediately catching his eyes and offering a really endearing smile, almost charming as he continued - «…I’d like to thank this young man for saving my life.«

The magic potion expert gaped at him and spluttered incoherent words, having no idea how on earth the Commandment could’ve known that he had mixed the potion and awakened him. While Hyunjin murmured an offended, _«It’s not like _we_ literally went through hell to save you but okay, thank the rookie potion mixer«_, Reticence slowly sat down on the edge of the white bed, softly petting the empty space beside him, and urging Byeonghee to sit down next to him.  
Though, not once looking away from Jisung. «I felt a connection to you immediately. Is water your affinity?«  
Jisung frowned and forced his confused mind to form an actual sentence before answering, «I-…I don’t have an affinity, I’m a magic potion expert…«

Reticence’s eyes widened and he then frowned confused, suddenly shaping his mouth to an O-shape and literally face-palming himself, leaving a rather bright, red imprint of his hand on his forehead in the process, «Oh! Right – you can connect to any element! I’m sorry, I must’ve imagined the connection then…«  
Even before Jisung could say anything, a sudden scowl made everyone turn their heads to a grumbling Minho, who had silently moved himself behind Jisung (with a really weird distance between them though). «W-What?«, Jisung asked and earned another dissatisfied scowl, frowning at the Warlock’s weird behaviour.

The Commandment of Reticence only laughed warmly though, suddenly gasping and startling anyone in this room – even Byeonghee, who’s sulking and moody appearance was almost over-shadowed by Reticence’s somehow bright personality. He got red cheeks suddenly, standing up really hastily and bowing 90° degrees before Jisung could stop him from moving too fast yet, all while saying, «I-I’m Bang Chan! Well, my mother used to call me Christopher but only when I did something really dumb! Please don’t call me Christopher, that makes me feel like I’m getting scolded-…nice to meet…you-…«

And then, he passed out on the floor.

Byeonghee blinked and stared at Chan, heaving a sigh, «Why is he unconscious?«  
The question was obviously thrown and Jisung, who mimicked his sigh with a nervous smile, «Because he had been asleep for a really long time and the Awakening Potion kind of messes with people’s energy and organism. He’s fine, he’ll just have to stay in bed for a few days – similar to Seungmin when we woke him up, that’s normal.«

The Sin of Wrath laughed amused and lifted Chan up, gently lying him down on the bed again, «Try keeping that idiot in his bed for just two hours and you’ll rip your hair out…«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a meanie I know but please - the birds and bees talk between Jisung and the others was funny. 
> 
> Minho spilled some of his thoughts again...I wonder what you guys think about it :)
> 
> By the way, I know the ending was quite weird lol  
That's because when I wrote that chapter, I just wrote and wrote and eventually realized that it has twenty pages on word - which is double the amount of what i usually do. Most chapters are exactly ten pages long and i was like lol I gotta cut this through because LMAO THAT'S WAY TOO LONG.
> 
> Hence why, I'm sorry, the next chapter will be completely out of Jisung's view again lmao. But that's okay because you'll get your fair share of Minho POV enough in the future :D
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. As always, feel free to theorize and comment whatever comes to your mind uwu
> 
> Stay healthy and I hope I somehow made your day with this chapter <33


	21. brew of weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write like  
I had to change it a few times because I wasn't satisfied with it lmao
> 
> BUT you'll totally love the surprise I have for you at the end of the chapter :D  
Have fun reading uwuwu <33

**Brew of Weakness;  
This is one of the potions you shouldn’t use on people without thinking about it thoroughly. The Brew of Weakness forces you to lack in every possible way. It’s a potion which takes more and more effect with time – so it doesn’t really matter how good or bad you mix this, the effect will remain a rise of weakness. The weaknesses usually start off with things like general tiredness, lack of energy, ongoing to a slur of words and followed by not being able to walk or even think until, in the end, you can’t breathe anymore. This potion is extremely dangerous because once you drank it, you will die eventually – if you won’t drink the antidote, that is. Back in time, before the Great War, they used this potion to torture people, to figure out what kind of weakness breaks them. There’s nothing as cruel as waiting for someone to die.  
And even more cruel is it to be on the receiving end of that knowledge. Because eventually, humans break – whether they want to or not…**

_Ripping your hair out_, as Byeonghee had described, wasn’t even slightly enough to describe the pain it was, trying to keep Bang Chan in his goddamn bed.  
While Chanyeol’s dearest sister Yoora – who was just as lovely and bright as him, though not at all clumsy or unlucky in any way – remained in her bed all the time, taking her medications and sleeping a lot, Chan was doing _everything_ but. It was almost like he didn’t know how to rest.

(Yoora somehow managed to get herself some footmen as it seemed, because Chanyeol and Namjoon were both running around all the time in order to get her everything she wanted. It was pretty clear to almost everyone that she just liked messing with them, but it was quite entertaining to watch her ordering them to get her some moisturizing cream for her face and Namjoon throwing a fit about how he needed to use the portal all the way back to Ospal so he could get something luxurious for her. The two Commandments though were both unaware of the gleeful grins and quiet snickers everyone threw after them.)

You might wonder; what about Jinyoung?  
Well, unfortunately, the Awakening Potion didn’t work on Jinyoung. Seokjin somehow assumed that it must be because of something in his body, maybe even his whole self – the glowing heart though didn’t stop, and his overall condition remained the same. Jin promised to think of something that could help him as well, maybe even look in some of his ancient books from the God of Healing (how he got those, Jisung would never know and Jin only answered to that question with a really vague and mysterious _«You’re better off not knowing«_. Whatever _that_ was supposed to mean.)  
Jisung tried to not worry too much about Jinyoung but couldn’t help thinking that it was his fault it didn’t work. Namjoon though – in a slight second in which he wasn’t running around to please Yoora’s need for <strike>entertainment</strike> moisturizing cream – told the magic potion expert, that the potion he had mixed was absolutely perfect and it was not his fault.  
Somewhere in his subconsciousness, Jisung _knew_ this – that didn’t change the fact that his anxiety and overall self-hating brain always found a way to blame himself. And besides, Jisung could barely imagine that his potion really was the best Awakening Potion Namjoon had ever seen. He wouldn’t be surprised if his weren’t the first he’d ever got to witness (given the fact that he had been in a relationship with Jin after all and he could imagine that the Commandment of Purity had offered some tears for that very special potion quite some times already). But he’d like to differ about whether or not he was a natural talent.

It was simply what he was born as, Jisung couldn’t imagine being a natural at something he obviously must be able to do somehow. He didn’t tell that Namjoon though.

And then, there was Minho. Ever since their…_physical_ _situation_, Jisung tried to stay away from him as good as possible. Not only because he turned bright red whenever he saw the bed or just as much glanced at Minho’s face/lips/body/arms/everything (really). No, also because of the things his resemblance had said to him. That he should stay away and that he’d kill himself or maybe even hurt Minho if he wouldn’t stop this.  
Though, Jisung wasn’t even sure what _this_ is. So how was he supposed to stop something that couldn’t even be labelled? They weren’t a pair nor were they actually something like _best friends_. Honestly, just between the two of them, both of them would agree that – out of a logical and totally objective perspective – they were barely friends. **But**, and that’s a big _but_, it didn’t feel like that. When they were together, it seemed like they were able to simply do anything; moving mountains, flooding cities, heck, concurring gods if that’s what they were going to do (and probably _will_ do somehow, considering they still had this small, but kind of big issue called _‘Veteus in Atror’_).  
Jisung couldn’t stay away from him and yet, he did. It was so weird, and he didn’t understand why.

Forcing himself to sleep in his own bed, three floors away from Minho, was somehow the hardest thing he’d had to force himself to do yet. It wasn’t the same as when they were literally apart by miles – the fact that Minho was only a few floors away from him, sleeping and living in the same house, somehow made it worse. The distance between them tugged at his whole body, as if some sort of thin, invisible thread connected their pinkies. As if they were magnets and everything on the planet wanted them to be together because they were so near and yet so far away from each other. Unbelievable but really true; Jisung’s fingers had itched to grab the key he securely placed back into the small box and open the door to the secret passage, to walk upstairs and cuddle up to the warmth of no one else but Lee Minho.

It wasn’t only the warmth or the simple fact that he was there – it was simply everything, honestly. Jisung’s bedroom pretty much looked the same as Minho’s apart from the colours and overall design but there was just something…missing.  
The chimney that was lit almost all evening when Minho was sitting in front of it, sipping his chamomile tea and reading a book silently, just so the remnants of a once hot fire remained as glowing ashes when they were both huddled up in the bed.  
The soft light of the candles that flickered whenever they talked long into the night about the dumbest things.  
The soft tune of some piece Minho adored when he decided to listen to some music with his record player.  
And the soft ticking of the old grandfather clock next to his door, the soft melody it played whenever the clock announced that its midnight.

It wasn’t like Jisung didn’t have a chimney or a grandfather clock or a tea set. His bedroom was the same, really, just in green. And his test in Seungmin’s bedroom had proved that, _yes_, the mattress was _indeed_ the same thing as in any other bedroom, Minho’s included. But somehow, even though it seemed identical to any other person…_it just wasn’t for him_.

Sleeping was tiring for him, ironically, tossing and turning, alternating between being too hot and too cold. The clock not calming him down but somehow being registered as noise in his head. And yet, when he stopped the clock for one night, the absolute silence was sickening. Jisung knew that he’d started sleepwalking again, but only because he woke up in the salon one morning – he didn’t know how to explain this to Hyunjin when the Warlock woke him up with a concerned look on his face, but seemingly didn’t have to do so anyways. Hyunjin had barely looked at him and nodded silently, ushering Jisung to go back into his bed and get some more sleep.  
Well, Jisung knew from Seungmin that there was no one in this house who wasn’t aware of how he literally lived in Minho’s bedroom for weeks. Hyunjin must’ve heard from Seungmin (though, the magic potion expert doubted that) or just assumed that there was something going on between him and Minho, if his quiet and analysing looks were anything to go by. It didn’t take a genius to see that they were avoiding each other as good as possible.

Not talking, not looking at each other, hell, they were sitting as far away from each other at the dining table as possible. Whenever they somehow bumped into the other or got into each other’s way, they started mumbling and stuttering out apologies. Sometimes, they remained staring at each other until either one of them or someone else turned them around forcefully. Honestly, it was dumb and embarrassing but Jisung couldn’t bring himself to talk to him or even just talk this out in general.

Instead, he slept in his cold, lonely room (or at least, he fell asleep there) and tried to figure out why exactly they were acting like that. It was no secret that there was…something between them. Whether it being feelings, adoration or just some really tight friendship – maybe even something bigger. It wasn’t like Jisung wasn’t aware, you know – of the lingering gazes, the overprotectiveness, the need of Minho to always be around him in some way. Even now, when they were pretty much avoiding each other, Minho still managed to be there whenever something dumb happened to Jisung.  
He wasn’t unlucky like Chanyeol was, no; Jisung was deadass clumsy and that was rather unfortunate considering he used to have a whole pub. Not gonna lie, the amount of glasses he had shattered on his own could barely be counted on his own two hands. Though, it wasn’t necessarily when he was concentrated.  
His clumsiness pretty much only came through when he was either tired or in deep thoughts. Which was both the case right now. Only yesterday, when he was walking down the stairs while reading a book about telekinesis, he missed a step (again!) and almost kissed the floor if it wouldn’t have been for Minho’s immediate presence. He’d wordlessly grabbed Jisung’s waist, avoiding eye-contact and then walking off once he was sure that Jisung was safe and healthy.

It was almost like it was before Jisung met Minho and slept in his bed for the first time; and he did not miss it.  
The constant need to rest, yawning every two minutes, not listening well enough because he was either half asleep or just not there with his thoughts, spacing out when no one paid attention. It was bad and Jisung wished he could change it. Wished he could just grab that key, walk up those spiral stairs and talk to Minho, heck, fuck talking – just get some rest and warmth!

But he couldn’t because every single time his finger barely hovered over the key, gracing the cold metal, and almost grabbing it at once, the small voice in his head told him not to. And he remembered his resemblance and remembered the wounds he’d had – all the pain and all the things Jisung had ever been through in his entire life.  
He wondered if everyone had such a resemblance – a darker version of oneself, someone who was…what they weren’t themselves. But yet, there was nothing as similar to them as this resemblance.

Jisung wanted to understand and it freaking annoyed him that he didn’t. He couldn’t understand because he knew for a fact that there was something going on he didn’t know about. And he also assumed that Minho knew some of those things because if he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t avoid him as well.

And now?

Well, right now, Jisung stood in the infirmary, watching Chan whining to Byeonghee about how he didn’t want to stay in bed for the hundredth time. It had been a week since they woke up and while Yoora was significantly healthier, Chan was still really pale and week on his legs. Though, the Commandment kept on saying that he was perfectly fine and didn’t need more rest since he was as healthy as a chicken (whatever that was supposed to mean).  
Somehow, Hyunjin had thought that if _someone_ could force Chan to stop his childish behaviour, it was _Jisung_. Though, the magic potion expert knew for a fact that all of them tried babysitting him for once and the Commandment managed to either run away or annoy them every time (and when he ran away, they found him unconscious in some corner of Hyunjin’s mansion after some time).

It wasn’t like Jisung didn’t like Chan.

But he was tired and stressed and he had way too many things in his head to deal with his whining any longer than he already did.  
And so, when he walked up to the bed, he grabbed Byeonghee’s wrist, pulled him away from Chan and crossed his arms in front of his chest, purposefully glaring at the Commandment with everything his tired self could muster.  
It seemed to work, because Chan immediately shut up and listened to Jisung when he took a deep breath and said, «I’ve had fucking enough. You will stay in this fucking bed and if it’s the last fucking thing you will do on this godforsaken planet. Not because you want to, but because I fucking tell you to. And if I just as much as see anything from your body trying to get out of this fucking bed, I will personally drag you through the whole mansion – let’s see how long you can walk around like the healthy person you claim to be. And believe me, _I _won’t pick you up when you pass out. Do you understand?«

Chan visibly swallowed and he knew that Byeonghee was staring at him with quite the shocked expression. When the Commandment didn’t answer, Jisung leaned forward and watched him lean back immediately.  
He repeated himself, «I said, do you understand?«  
«Yes…I’m sorry, Jisung-ie…«, Chan mumbled and slowly retreated into his bed, pulling the sheets over his body obediently.

Jisung sent one last glare towards him, some sort of silent threat, and then ordered Byeonghee to keep an eye on him, before he turned around and left again.

He decided to do something about his messy thoughts and straight up walked to the library – the only place where he could actually rest (except Minho’s room of course).  
Somehow, on his way there, Jeongin had run up to him in his fox-form, jumping onto his shoulder effortlessly and nuzzling his nose into the crook of his neck. It was always comforting when Jeongin was sitting on his shoulders and honestly, Jisung was really thankful for the small nine-tailed fox’s ability to sense people’s distress or overall condition.

Knowing him on his shoulder made it easier to look for books about glowing hearts or sleeping conditions that couldn’t be healed somehow. Jisung also decided to look up some things about werewolves – just in case.  
Seokjin had looked at Felix and the unknown wolf again, saying that they were both doing better but still weren’t healthy enough to deal with such holy magic as to get healed. He’d asked Jisung to mix a healing potion, just to quicken the process a little bit and they were both doing better now. Jin assumed that he’ll be able to use his special magic on the two in maybe two or three days.

For the time being, most of them returned home – Chanyeol had taken Yoora back to their resident at the south coast of Ospal, telling Hyunjin that if he’d need something, he could send him a message all the time. Seokjin, as well, had returned to his mansion (which Jisung was very curious about but not brave enough to ask about it yet). The only one’s staying here were Namjoon and Byeonghee; the Commandment of Pacifism decided to stay because he didn’t want to deal with his nagging housemother, as he’d told them (Namjoon had said that the lady was very useful and nice, always keeping his house tidy and organizing all of his things, but could also get quite feisty and angry). Byeonghee, of course, stayed here because of Chan.

They were cute together (though Byeonghee was more annoyed within the last week than actually nice to Chan). The two of them had some sort of bond no one really understood but they themselves, something intimate and beautiful. When Jisung had asked Byeonghee about it though, the Sin of Wrath had just smiled fondly and avoided the question, never actually saying that they had a relationship. Still, they were really cute and whenever Byeonghee thought no one was looking, he dropped a small, lingering kiss onto Chan’s forehead when he was asleep (for once) or he fondly played with the Commandment’s soft hair, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Really, it was endearing in every way possible.

Jisung barely noticed the time flying by, distracted by the pile of books he was reading and Jeongin’s occasional jokes and touches to sooth his nerves. It was past midnight when the fox told him he should get some sleep and continue tomorrow, telling him that Hyunjin wouldn’t mind the mess if he’d read again the next day. Jisung agreed and promised Jeongin he’ll go to bed once he blew out all the candles, telling him that he should get to bed as well.

The fox seemed hesitant, offering to stay in Jisung’s room for the night but the magic potion expert kindly declined and Jeongin eventually said goodnight to him, skipping away towards Hyunjin’s room.  
It was deadly quiet again, even more so when no one else was awake and the whole mansion was seemingly asleep.

After blowing out every candle, Jisung left one candlestick with three candles on it alight, using it to manoeuvre his way through the dark hallways of Hyunjin’s nightly mansion. Once the clock hit midnight, all the lights in the Warlock’s house went off – some spell that had been put onto the mansion years ago, as Minho had once explained to him.

Jisung wasn’t afraid of the dark, never was, but he didn’t want to break his neck as well, so he preferred to use the candle. The library was on the other side of the mansion, quite far away from the sleeping wing. It wasn’t the first time he walked through these corridors at night, whether it being awake or asleep of course. Though he still got lost sometimes, he had memorized the way from the library to his room and back.

Not being afraid of the dark didn’t mean that it didn’t make him…uncomfortable. Jisung was tired and had missed some nights of proper sleep. He wasn’t sure if his nervousness came from this or…not.

He walked through the corridors, the candles in his hand throwing shadows over the walls, seemingly playing with the darkness. There were windows on Jisung’s left side, though, the moon was on the other side of the mansion and therefore, it was pitch black. He noticed that the sky was covered with heavy clouds, not a single bit of stars visible. It was quite stormy, and the wind took away the last bit leaves the trees had on them, moving them around as if they were their marionettes. Jisung sighed and winced when a clock at the end of the hallway signalled that it was half past twelve. At almost the exact same time, a sudden thunder roared through the house, the walls of the old mansion vibrating and Jisung stopped shortly, glancing outside to catch sight of a lightning – the storm was quite near then, but it hadn’t started to rain yet. He could almost feel the heavy air outside.  
«I’m way too tired for this…«, Jisung mumbled and continued walking, when suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the corridors. He couldn’t help jumping, immediately turning back around to see one of the windows he just stared out of had popped open all of a sudden, the doors of it being pulled open and closed by the wind with no stopping. Jisung sighed when one of his candles got blown off by the stormy weather, leaving the candleholder on a commode next to him and walking up to close the window that almost made him have a heart attack.

He sighed after successfully closing the window, being sure to lock it so it won’t spring open again, a sudden tiredness running over his body – even more than before.  
«God…this mansion is way too old for this world. Seungmin would’ve jumped out of his skin if it would’ve been him walking past this window…«, he chuckled to himself and turned back around to get his candles, groaning when he noticed they were all blown out except for one. He lit the other two again and stepped away from the commode, wanting to continue his journey to his (lonely and cold) bed, when he heard a thumb behind him. Jisung turned around and saw the expensive golden décor that had been standing on the commode as some sort of fancy add-on roll over the carpeted floor.  
«What is going on in this damn house?«, Jisung wondered and bent down to pick the thing up.

Though just when he grabbed the golden thing, he suddenly felt something cold around his wrist. Jisung thought he’d need his reading glasses when he saw a white, skinny hand wrapped around his wrist tightly. And almost immediately, Jisung let out a startled (still rather quiet) sound and let go of the golden décor, staring at the hand that came out of underneath the commode. Jisung squinted his eyes and directed the light against it, but when he did so, the hand was gone, just like the pale, skinny arm that had belonged to it. «What in the name of Ranera…?«

A whiff of cold air hit him in his neck and Jisung’s breath hitched in his throat when he heard a raspy, emotionless voice right next to his ear whispering, **_«Ranera can’t help you anymore…«_**

Jisung turned around but, unsurprisingly, didn’t see anyone. He frowned and held the candleholder up again, «Who’s there?«  
**_«Oh? Master was right…what a light heart you have…«_**, the voice said and Jisung almost cringed at the sound of it – it sounded ugly and uncomfortable in his ears, like someone dragged his nails over a blackboard or a fork over a plate.  
Now, not being scared didn’t mean he didn’t feel nervous. And besides, he was half sure that he was imagining this voice because; he was tired as fuck.

His last bit of sanity seemed to slip out of his head though when another sudden blow of wind opened up the windows next to him, a thunder roaring over the house and the storm blowing off all of his candles for good this time. Jisung felt the hand around his fingers and involuntarily let go of the candleholder, the sound of the gold hitting the wooden ground barely registered by his ears.  
**_«I can’t believe you escaped them. Twice. They were _so_ close to getting you, but that Warlock had to get in-between«_**, the voice continued.  
Jisung frowned but couldn’t even open his mouth to say anything when he felt cold hands on his back, keeping him in place, slowly travelling up more and more. He felt his heartbeat quicken; something felt familiar about this.  
**_«Do you remember me, Jisung-ie?«_**, it – whatever _this_ was – continued, **_«You are just as incapable of doing anything against me as you were back then.«_**  
A chuckle followed, **_«Though, back then, you were a kid…remember? The woods, the night breeze, the snow on the ground…it was quite cold that night.«_**

Jisung knew that this thing didn’t lie. But somehow, he couldn’t grasp the memory. His intense concentration of trying to find a hint of memory somewhere in his brain was interrupted by skinny, long fingers wrapping themselves around his neck, something walking around him slowly, coldness spreading from its touch all over Jisung’s body. A disgusting smell accompanied the following cold breath hitting Jisung’s face as the thing said, **_«Don’t worry, you’ll remember…just let me get that light out of you and we’re already half there, hm?«_**

The voice was almost nice, light and barely there if it wasn’t for the smell of death coming from its mouth. Jisung couldn’t see it, wasn’t sure if he wanted to do so in the first place once he felt the skinny hands wrap around his throat this time.  
A lightning struck, illuminating the otherwise dark interior of the mansion and gifting Jisung with a short glimpse of that thing.  
Everything about it was disturbing, though Jisung only got a glimpse of its face; or lack thereof. The skin was pale white, though, littered with some bloody wounds that probably never healed, some depth where you’d suppose a human’s eyes to be located and worst of all; a slack, open, bright mouth, sharp teeth grazing the inside of it. Just so, Jisung was able to see a little bit of the creature’s upper body; just as pale skin, terrifyingly skinny and almost every bit of bones visible under the skin, long arms that fit the long, slender, and skinny fingers that were wrapped around his throat.

Though you would suppose a thing like this could barely walk on its own legs, it had a ridiculous amount of strength hidden, immediately tightening the hold, and pushing Jisung down on the ground when he just as much as tried to break free from it.  
The air was knocked out of him when his back hit the carpeted floor, the impact sounding dull in his own ears, but he was sure it had been rather loud.  
Jisung wasn’t sure what to expect from the creature when he suddenly felt something dragging down over his skin to where his heart was, knowing that the nails – or rather claws – of that thing were sharp enough to pull at his skin and draw blood on its way there, ripping apart his shirt and stopping directly over his breast.

Jisung tried to wiggle free but worsened his state when he felt the claws dig into his skin. He hissed quietly and squeezed one eye shot, turning his face away when the creature came nearer with its head, another thunder roaring and a lightning following barely ten seconds later. Its breath reeked of death and corpses, tightening Jisung’s throat as it continued speaking with that ugly voice, **_«Don’t worry, it’ll only hurt for a split second.«_**

He felt the claws dig in more into his skin, a sudden wave of adrenalin running over him. Jisung glances to the side and saw the candleholder, immediately grabbing it and using the adrenaline to smash it over the creatures head in an instant. The thing yelled because of the impact, the potion expert wiggling out from under him and standing up. Honestly, it didn’t matter where he was going to run – he just wanted to run.  
The creature though had recovered real fast, angrily grabbing his ankle, and throwing Jisung back on the ground, air getting knocked out of him yet again as he hit the floor. Jisung turned around, barely registering the storm, how it whipped around the windows, finally being able to see the thing in its whole glory when the storm seemed to be directly above the house, lightning hitting again and again, illuminating the house. It had long legs, seemingly only build of bones and pale skin, littered with blood. The arms were reaching down to his knees, big hands moving as long, clawed skinny fingers started tightening around his ankle. Jisung wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry, scream, or remain silent because honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could even open his mouth.

His heartbeat went overboard when the thing crawled forward, he kicked the hand away and wanted to crawl backwards, but his back hit the wall next to the commode.  
**_«I finally have you all to myself – my master will be satisfied when I bring him your heart…!«_**, the thing said and Jisung would’ve questioned that if it wasn’t for the creature walking up to him slowly, cornering him at the wall with something similar to a sadistic grin.

Jisung swears he sees his life flash past his inner sight as the creature growls and jumps forward, another thunder roaring when all of a sudden…

…everything turned light.

The creature was gone and instead, he heard steps coming from around the corner, flinching slightly when Minho suddenly appeared, a worried sick expression on his face. Jisung saw sweat on his forehead, his hair clinging onto the skin and his breathing heavy. His eyes were glowing a bright magenta, constantly shifting from dark to light colours in all varieties. Jisung glanced at his throat and saw marks, some bloody lines following a path down to his heart, his shirt – just like his own – ripped apart.

Honestly, Jisung barely registered Hyunjin’s worried words about what the hell had happened down here, a sudden need to be safe running all over Jisung’s body as he stared at Minho. Instead of answering Hyunjin, Jisung stood up on shaky legs and stepped towards the Warlock, soft fingers tugging away the hem of his shirt and his eyes roaming over the bloody wounds. Minho didn’t say anything, only watched the potion expert. His breath was just as heavy as Jisung’s own and for a few seconds, there was no one but them in that hallway.  
«You got hurt because of me, didn’t you?«, Jisung mumbled, his voice almost a whisper. But as it seemed, the Warlock had heard every word. He stopped Jisung’s fingers by softly taking his wrists and guiding the hands away from his wounds, sweaty hair sticking to his forehead as he shook his head slowly, «No. This isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s mine. But I’m fine and you are too so stop frowning.«

Their weird moment was interrupted by Hyunjin clearing his voice subtly, Minho visibly reluctantly letting go of the potion expert’s wrist. They gazed back at the others, Jisung stepping back from Minho almost awkwardly.  
«I hate to destroy your moment…«, Byeonghee said and smiled softly when he noticed Jisung’s red cheeks. The smile disappeared pretty fast though when he continued, «…but I can feel evil energy. It’s almost disgusting – whatever it was that attacked you, it was extremely powerful.«  
Hyunjin scoffed, «Of course it was. Jeongin is an over three-hundred years old nine-tailed fox. His magic is incredibly concentrated, even as a rather young and sometimes inexperienced fox. Nothing ever managed to break through his protection shield without anyone noticing.«

Jisung bit his lip and exhaled softly before saying, «It was a Bastrath. I only saw…glimpses and I wasn’t sure when he was hovering over me until I saw his whole body. After the hellhounds ran loose in Orlon, I had decided to look up demons and hell-creatures in your library. I remember the Bastrath clearly.«  
Namjoon frowned, «Are you sure? Bastraths are extremely dangerous. They’re-…«  
«They’re high-class-demons«, Jisung interrupted with a distant look in his eyes, staring at Namjoon blankly, «I know it was a Bastrath. The picture I saw in the book was identical.«

«Which book?«, Hyunjin asked slowly and Jisung’s memory was immediately running miles, «Creature’s Encyclopaedia Book Three’, Chapter five; ‘Demons and Hell-Creatures’, clause eighteen, paragraph two; ‘The Bastrath’. It was a rather old book, pages already a little yellow and some things were written in runic, which I thought was weird. There was a whole page next to that chapter only decorated by a picture of the Bastrath-…«  
Jisung stopped when he saw Hyunjin’s completely confused face and his arms frantically moving around to shut him up probably, «Okay, stop! I didn’t ask for the exact source, oh my god!«  
«I’m sorry, photographic memory…«, Jisung answered and shut up again when Hyunjin just glared at him.

Byeonghee sighed and pointed at Jisung and Minho lazily, «Well, Bastrath or not – you’re the luckiest guy I’ve ever met. Bastraths are extremely…dangerous. They’re hard to kill, even harder to escape. You were lucky Hyunjin heard Minho’s shout and activated all the lights in the mansion.«  
«There’s something else…«, Jisung said and got anyone’s attention, «I think…I think I’ve seen that exact Bastrath. I think that…that it wasn’t the first time I was attacked by it. But I don’t really remember. It said that I was a child back then. And it also said something about _‘them’_ almost getting me and Minho interfering.«

Hyunjin sucked in a sharp breath, «I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot like the hellhounds to me. The only thing Minho really rescued you from, was those things.«  
Jisung wanted to say something else, but Minho interrupted their conversation with a step forward, «I think we should all go to bed and talk about this tomorrow or whenever. We won’t get the answer tonight.«

And so, they all agreed and marched off towards their own bedrooms. Jisung tried to politely decline, still rather awkward with Minho, but the Warlock insisted that he should stay in his room tonight; he said, _just in case_.

Honestly, Jisung had to admit, he didn’t mind _that_ much…

\-----

Jisung woke up, breath heavy and sweat running down his temples. He needed a few seconds to recognize where he was, even more so to realize that someone was softly running his hands through his damp hair. His mind told him to jump away from whoever touched him, though, something inside of him assured his anxiety that this someone wasn’t going to hurt him. When he slowly started to adjust his eyes to the dim lightning in the room, Jisung finally recognized Minho next to him, patiently waiting for him to calm down, which he eventually did.  
Taking a shaky breath, Jisung swallowed the lump in his throat and rasped, «I-I’m sorry. I woke you up, didn’t I?«  
The Warlock merely shook his head, black hair softly covering his forehead as he smiled with a font expression, «I wasn’t sleeping. You were tossing and turning quite some time and started having a fever, so I stayed awake to tap your head with a wet cloth. Are you dizzy?«

Now that the Warlock mentioned it, he did feel like his surroundings were a little bit hazy. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and nodded as an answer, accepting the cup of water Minho offered to drink.  
Minho softly tugged Jisung back inside the bed, «Do you get sick easily?«  
Slowly shaking his head, Jisung tried to fight the need to fall asleep. His eyelids were heavy and constantly falling shut – but there were so many things in his head. With a huff, Jisung grabbed the Warlock’s sleeve and pulled weakly, «I can’t sleep…«

Jisung really thought that this time, all of his luck was gone for good and he’d definitely die. He didn’t, obviously. But that didn’t change the fact that something tried to kill him.  
Minho didn’t answer yet, occupied with checking the bandages over Jisung’s chest where the Bastrath dug his claws into his skin. The magic potion expert could barely see the angry red lines of the exact same wounds peeking out from under the Warlock’s black shirt.  
«The Bastrath said that…its master was going to be happy with it…« - he had to catch his breath, confused when he realized that his fever must be higher than he himself felt, watching Minho raise an eyebrow interested - «…if it would bring him my heart. Why _my_ heart…?«

The Warlock’s jaw clenched slightly, a few seconds of silence following. Minho sighed eventually, carefully tugging some lost platinum strands away from Jisung’s eyes, a distracted and yet still concerned and kind of…lovely expression visible in his eyes as he answered, «I really don’t know, Sung-ie. I wish I would. Try to get some sleep, okay? You’ll feel better tomorrow…«

And so, because Jisung knew that Minho would be here at all time, he followed the elder’s advice and closed his eyes, soon falling asleep once again...

\-----

The next time Jisung woke up, he felt significantly better but had a bad headache and a running nose. He didn’t wake up because of that though, rather than some really nasty noise startling him and Minho out of their peacefully sleeping tangled mess of blankets and legs.

Just the next second, Hyunjin burst through the door with his sleeping rope, a really pissed off look in his face as he said, «Why can’t I just have _one_ day of nothing happening?! Lovebirds get out of your bed! As much as I hate to disturb your somehow disgusting cuddling…« - Minho threw a pillow at the Sin of Pride and snarled some insult, which got ignored without a care in the world though - «…we got a visitor! So get your ass up and at least try to _not_ look like you just fucked!«  
And without saying anything else or even waiting for an answer, Hyunjin slammed the door shut again, disappearing with loud grumbles that eventually silenced.

While Jisung’s head was pounding way too much for him to care about his looks or anything Hyunjin said, Minho grumbled and carefully helped him standing up.

They barely took about ten minutes to get ready and join the others in the dining room, though, they got scolded by Hyunjin either way for being _lazy_. When he childishly accused Minho of being a _‘dumbass’_, the Warlock knocked his fist on the Sin’s head with a dangerously nice smile, daring him to, quote, _«please repeat that because I didn’t catch that just now«_. Hyunjin immediately declined, but continued sulking in his chair at the end of the table.

Jisung honestly almost wanted to rip Chan’s hair out when he walked inside on Byeonghee’s back with a bright smile, purposefully avoiding looking into the potion expert’s direction.  
When Jisung asked him why the hell he wasn’t in his freaking bed, Chan slyly smirked and smoothly answered, «I’m not walking, as you may have noticed.«  
It was indeed clever but that didn’t change the fact that he should still be asleep.

After a little bit more discussing and another almost fight between Minho and Hyunjin, Chanyeol – who had been half-asleep most of the time – finally stood up and asked who the hell was that visitor everyone was talking about. Hyunjin merely shrugged and glanced at Byeonghee with an accusing look on his face, ordering him to explain the situation.

Byeonghee sighed and set Chan down on a chair in front of Jisung – purposefully as it seemed, so Jisung could glare at him while swallowing a medication against his headache. The Sin of Wrath turned around and looked really confused, staring at the familiar faces sitting around the table with a deep frown, «Where is he?«  
«_You_ tell me, I thought you told him to wait here?«, Hyunjin answered and they watched Byeonghee walking around, looking under the table and eventually ordering all of them to shut up for a few seconds. When they all started listening intently, Jisung heard it as well; a soft snoring sound, quiet breathing – someone was sleeping here. Byeonghee walked into the kitchen and groaned. They heard some loud shouts and curses, some pots loudly smacking against each other (increasing Jisung’s headache) until it eventually stopped with Byeonghee slamming the doors open, hands resting on his hips in some really scolding way. The door to the kitchen slowly creaked open once again, someone walking out with his head hung low and a blanket draped over his head.

He yawned and moved his head up, the blanket slipping off his shoulders, showing dishevelled hair. Byeonghee sighed and pointed at the guy, «May I introduce, this is Kim Taehyung.«

Everyone glanced back and forth between the Sin and Taehyung, who barely flinched when Byeonghee smacked his head lightly, a tired expression on his too beautiful face – really he was too handsome to be real – strawberry-blonde hair that looked almost too fluffy with the natural waves in it. He whined softly when Byeonghee kept nudging his sides energetically (it looked like it hurt, honestly), but the stranger eventually gave up and looked up at all of them, his brown eyes still as distant and tired as before. He bowed barely with his head, yawning again midway through his introduction as he said, «Yes, Kim Taehyung…that’s me. Nice to meet you…«

Byeonghee sighed and smacked him again, «You were supposed to _properly_ introduce yourself! He’s not just some random guy I invited over, don’t worry. Taehyung is the Sin of Sloth and Warlock of Air – so please excuse his lazy behaviour, he fell asleep in the kitchen, as it seems…even though I told him to not do that!«  
While the Warlock of Fire glared daggers at the Sin of Sloth, Taehyung immediately brightened once his eyes finally fell on someone else he seemed to know; Chan.  
He ignored Byeonghee’s nagging and ran up to the Commandment with an almost excited smile, making his beautiful features even more enticing, «Chan-ie! Did I miss your marriage with Byeonghee, I didn’t know you were already living together?«  
Chan ignored the statement with a bright smile, rubbing his cheek against Taehyung’s affectionally. He ignored both, Byeonghee’s immediate denial and Hyunjin’s offended speech about how this was _his_ house and not Chan’s.

While Jisung started to like Taehyung, if only for the fact that he just unintentionally confirmed all of their quiet hopes of the _‘ByeongChan’_-Couple being a thing.  
Hyunjin eventually interrupted Chan’s and Taehyung’s excited chit-chat by suddenly slamming his hand on the table and standing up, «Wait, Byeonghee! You brought us Sloth, you’re a genius!«

Jisung only now started to realize that there was a reason for Taehyung’s appearance. The Warlock of Sloth turned around to look at Hyunjin, halfway sitting on Chan’s lap (which did not sit well with Byeonghee, not at all, but he ignored him). His eyes were glowing silvery for a few seconds – his colour as it seemed – as he answered, «Indeed. I heard we’ll get to beat up some god, am I right?«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaannndddd????  
YOU GOT TO MEET THE SEVENTH SIN!  
I gotta be honest lmao in my original notes, I wanted Astro's Eunwoo to have his role. But in the end, I felt like that didn't fit...and so, I chose Taehyung. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't think at all that Taehyung in real life is anything like Sloth xD but the overall image and character I chose the Sin of Sloth to have does fit him uwu you'll totally love him, I'm sure of it :3
> 
> What's it with this Bastrath though...it attacked Jisung and claimed that they know each other...? And the hellhounds were after him...? Why does Minho have the same wounds? How did he know Jisung was in danger? I'm SO curious what you guys think because this was a really important hint :D
> 
> Also, I wanted to thank ya'll for your support TAT  
Lately, I get so many comments and people who are just wishing me a great day and stuff and that really does make my day cause I'm a little bit lost and moody lately >< I'm always so happy when I see people commenting and sharing their thoughts and telling me they binge read the whole story-  
Speaking of which; I'm trying to answer every comment as fast as possible xD so if I don't react to one of your comments directly, please don't think I ignored you. I love answering to your comments because when I comment on someone's story and the author responds, I feel...noticed? And appreciated? I don't know how to word it correctly but I want to make you feel appreciated ><
> 
> So, once again, thank you so much for reading! <33  
If you have any questions, theories or just things you'd like to share, feel free to do so. I may not be able to answer all of your questions but maybe I'll let one spoiler or hint slide, who knows O-O
> 
> Stay healthy and have a really great day! <33


	22. flask of luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iiii'mmmmm back with a new chapter :3
> 
> it was a hard week for me but I forced myself to stay as positive as I can uwu  
there is a lot of jumping around in this chapter and it was a little hard to write since it's kind of a filler, but also extremely important. I hope you'll like my new addition to the story :D
> 
> sooo, without further ado, have fun reading!

**Flask of Luck;  
Sometimes, you’re just in desperate need of some help – sometimes, life just doesn’t go like it’s supposed to go. That’s where luck is needed. Though, luck seems to be a totally universal thing and also…well, a thoughts kind of thing. People who believed that the universe wanted them to suffer wouldn’t be granted luck because they provoked the Karma to treat them like some joke. The Flask of Luck grants everyone who drinks it a full twenty-four hours of pure Luck. Everything they’re planning to do will work out somehow, it doesn’t matter what. Therefore, the Flask of Luck is also a really powerful potion; it puts a spell on time and people without anyone noticing because the person who drank it needs everything the universe can offer for his plans to work out. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Flask of Luck is extremely difficult to make; it needs two weeks to cool down after brewing over a hot fire for a month. But some people don’t mind this inconvenience if it means everything they want to do works out.  
And sometimes, some luck is exactly what you need…isn’t it?**

Kim Taehyung wasn’t a bad person. And actually, quite nice. Weird? Definitely. But not a bad person.

The problem wasn’t Taehyung. The problem was that Minho was worried sick and on edge 24/7, expecting something to attack Jisung every second. Which was also why he went from ignoring him for what felt like ages to following the potion expert everywhere. Literally everywhere. And what surprised not only Minho himself, but also the rest of the people in the mansion was the fact that Jisung didn’t mind. He didn’t complain and didn’t question the almost possessive behaviour. He just…let Minho do whatever.

Now, it wasn’t like Minho wanted to follow Jisung around like that. But something inside of him seemed to force him to do it. He – of course – was very much aware of that. Though that didn’t mean he could change it.

As promised, Hyunjin had ordered Minho over to his study after they all met Taehyung. Honestly, Minho had totally forgot about the healing scratches on his arms and therefore – when he went to rescue Jisung from that Bastrath – didn’t care about whether or not someone was going to see them. This recklessness though proved to be his downfall because once he stood inside of Hyunjin’s study, he already dreaded the following hour. An hour spent standing around with shameful eyes staring at the wooden floor while his best friend walked up and down in front of him, shouting and theorizing over what the hell had happened to Minho’s arms and why the freaking freckle he didn’t think about telling him that. After approximately one hour, Hyunjin allowed Minho to speak up for himself and explain what had happened, to which he simply shrugged and said he wouldn’t remember.

Not like that statement made Hyunjin any happier. But here’s the thing; Minho couldn’t afford him knowing the truth. It was bad enough that Jeongin witnessed how he got the wounds from a dream. Hyunjin already had a pretty clear opinion on how Minho should act regarding certain aspects of his life even though the Sin of Pride theoretically spoken had no right to order him around in any way. Minho knew that Hyunjin was only worried and couldn’t really show it, so he stuck with shouting and acting bossy. But that didn’t mean he needed him to know that yes, Minho should’ve distanced himself from Jisung long ago and yes, it was somehow too late. If he’d tell him that the wounds came from the shadows that attacked him in his dreams, Hyunjin would have the opportunity to tell him exactly that; that he’d told him what would happen, that Minho should’ve listened to him when he warned him the first time, that this was his own fault, etcetera, etcetera.

No, Minho could barely handle his own thoughts and head blaming him. He couldn’t deal with Hyunjin’s nagging as well.

And so, lying to him was the solution, once again. As already mentioned once, Minho didn’t like lying, especially not to Hyunjin.  
Though, within the last couple of weeks, he had been lying more than ever in his entire life so far; you should think he was used to it by now. And unfortunately, he kind of was…

Back to today; a week after the Bastrath’s attack. It was morning and Minho was currently slicing a melon because apparently, they tasted refreshing and gifted everyone with energy for the day. Not like he actually said so himself, Chan had some really weird _‘wise’_ – as he described them himself – quotes.  
Speaking of which; Chan was just as weird as he was nice and charming. Something about him was alluring, from his east-southern accent to the sparkling brown eyes. He was constantly talking as it seemed, even with still sleeping Felix and the unknown wolf, smile seemingly never leaving his face and yet, even though he was talking a lot, he was never annoying. His voice was deep and yet soft, his way of speaking had something extremely calming and mysterious.

Even now, Minho would like to say.

For some odd reason, Chan had decided to help him out in the kitchen because even though they still had their rock-paper-scissors battles, Minho seemed to lose a lot and Chan had declared that he did not approve. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Minho had yet to properly get to know Chan.  
Here’s the thing about the Commandment; he seemed rather open and naïve, almost too sweet, and too friendly to be true. While it was not a lie that Chan indeed was sweet and friendly, Minho was also convinced that the Wizard was hiding a lot about himself. He was pretty similar to Namjoon in that way but Namjoon was way less talkative and more reserved in general.

While Minho was silently slicing the melon, Chan hummed a soft melody to himself, his focus on the stove and the hot water that was supposed to boil for the tea. His fingers were itching to finish this up and serve the breakfast for everyone so he could finally sit back down next to Jisung.

Chan suddenly stopped humming, interrupting Minho’s stressed and annoyed thoughts with his softer than soft voice, «Jisung-ie is quite brave, isn’t he?«  
Almost immediately, Minho stopped his movements and turned his head to look at the Commandment silently. He raised an eyebrow, indicating that he needed him to explain or else he wouldn’t get what Chan was trying to say. The latter smiled fondly, voice still soft as he continued without even looking into Minho’s direction, «Bastraths are evil creatures. People usually don’t just survive them, and he was lucky that Hyunjin turned on all the lights before the demon could kill him. And yet, he remains calm and almost…unbothered.«

Minho bit the inside of his cheeks and turned his head back to the melon in front of him, continuing the knife’s journey through the rich flavoured fruit without saying anything. While he understood why it must seem like Jisung seemed unbothered, Minho knew for a fact that the potion expert wasn’t. He tried to hide it and act like nothing happened but the Bastrath’s attack and what had happened that night bothered him. Not necessarily because of the almost-death or because he was scared of it coming back. No, Jisung was brave indeed. He wasn’t scared and that probably was the problem. He wanted to know more. He wanted to find out _what_ that thing wanted from him, _why_ it was sent to get his heart, _who_ sent it to get his heart and _why Minho had the same wounds at the exact same spots_ Jisung had them himself from the Bastrath.  
He wasn’t unbothered. Jisung was curious.

«Sometimes…pain is like reading. Depending on how often you do it, you’re either pretty good or pretty bad at it«, Chan said, and Minho’s eyes drifted towards him within an instant. He didn’t know if Chan had already looked at him or just so happened to stare at Minho at the same moment, but his eyes held something deep and wise in them; they glowed slightly, barely noticeable, dark-blue, and seemingly normal. And yet, his eyes were anything but, «Pain is the same. Torturing someone for years and years with the same thing and same pain will hurt less and less. Because at one point, you get good at it.«

He didn’t intent to, but Minho couldn’t stop the sarcastic laugh that escaped him – it sounded choked, unreal, «Good at pain?«  
Chan’s eyes sparkled up, the deep blue getting more intense as he fully turned his body towards the Warlock, «Good at being used to it.«

Minho started to understand what Chan was trying to hint at. He didn’t think Jisung was unbothered at all. He saw and probably knew for a fact that the potion expert was only good at acting like he was.  
«You’re mostly an idiot but sometimes, it seems like you hold all the world’s secrets on your shoulders«, Minho mumbled and watched the Commandment’s eyes turn brown again, a soft smile setting itself on his tender lips as he quietly answered, «I am Reticence after all; if I don’t know the secrets, who would…?«

\-----

Hyunjin’s mansion was located in the Woods of Circles in Iosmea, hidden behind the Red Mountains and close to the cliffs at the Northern Sea. Back when Hyunjin’s father was still alive, he told his son and Minho about how the Hwangs were traditionally ruling over Iosmea as the oldest existing family in the kingdom for centuries. Its location was one of the reasons why Hyunjin usually invited people over through his portal. Traveling through the Red Mountains took days and the Woods of Circles had their name because of the problems they caused for everyone who tried walking through them. That was because back in the days, when Wars were still a daily occasion, the mansion was a hidden fortress for many innocent people. If you didn’t know about the mansion or where exactly it was located, you couldn’t find it.  
It’s one of many reasons why the Hwang’s mansion is also called the _‘Fort of Mysteries’_.

Considering all of those facts, you could probably imagine Minho’s confused and perplexed face when he walked out of the salon towards the stairs to get to the infirmary on the second floor and heard someone knocking on Hyunjin’s door. On the mansions door. The main entrance of the house. The only person who ever really walked through that door so far was Seokjin and he only did that because he wanted to leave an impact and enter dramatically – Jeongin had probably sensed his presence on Hyunjin’s ground and mansion before Seokjin actually jumped out of the portal.

Naturally, Minho thought he imagined it and shrugged, continuing his journey upstairs and immediately stopping when he heard the knock again.

Okay, there really was someone at that door. Just when he decided to turn around, Jisung walked down the stairs with a puzzled expression on his face, stopping at the railings and glancing towards the door, «Did someone just knock on that door…?«  
They exchanged a long look and simultaneously walked towards the main entrance; a big, wooden door that creaked loudly when Minho unlocked the many locks on it with his magic and opened it slowly. He glanced outside and tried to ignore Jisung’s curious jumps and attempts to see past Minho’s frame to see who was knocking on the door. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to seem at least somehow nice and not like he despised humanity, «Who’s there?«

He could barely see the person who had knocked, before that someone squeaked the cutest, highest _‘yeek’_ he had ever heard in his entire life (apart from Jisung’s sounds when he got pranked of course).  
Minho blinked confused and stepped out, his gaze alternating between left and right as he tried to find whoever just jumped out of his sight. He almost missed the shaking figure right of the door; a woman, as it seemed, who hid behind one of the plants Ryujin placed in front of the entrance.   
«Excuse me, what are you doing?«, he said, and the woman flinched and shook some more, immediately answering in a high-pitched and shaky voice; «I-I’m terribly sorry, I must’ve knocked on the wrong door!«  
She got up on shaky legs and turned around, seemingly all about to fully run away for good. Minho barely saw her face when he noticed her pointy ears and the pale skin; she was a fairy.  
«The wrong door?«, Minho said and grabbed her wrist carefully in an attempt to stop her, «There’s no way you wanted to get to someone else’s house when you knock on this door.«

It was then that he finally sensed it – her power kicked in the moment his magic got in contact with hers. Minho stared at her and blinked confused at the light feeling in his chest, the sudden scent of sea in his nose and the feeling of wind playing with his hair even though there was no wind at all.  
She flinched and softly tugged her wrist out of his grasp, lifting her head up to finally reveal her face as Minho remained staring at her dumbfounded; she was a fairy, yes, but she was also a really powerful Wizard.

Her voice still trembled a little bit when she opened her mouth again, but this time she seemed rather calm, «Y-You are-…_mpfh?!_« The second Minho realized what she was about to say, he summoned an apple from Hyunjin’s garden (the Sin would definitely kick him for that if he’d ever find out) and stuffed it inside her mouth. She was completely speechless and silent.  
In fact, Minho was so confused who that woman was, that he almost forgot about Jisung’s presence. Luckily, his subconsciousness was used to hiding things by now and he managed to silence her in time. Jisung stepped up from behind him and glanced between the woman and Minho’s hand still holding the apple. Minho smiled awkwardly and withdrew his hand in an instant, the woman taking a bite from the apple and humming happily – yes, Hyunjin’s apples were indeed good.

«Who are…you?«, Jisung asked slowly and smiled warmly, to which the woman seemed to warm up some more. She glanced towards Minho verily – as if he’d throw her off the property any second, really – and then answered, «M-Mina…Myoui Mina. A friend of mine told me he needed me for something important and where I’d have to go…«

Minho tilted his head to the side and stared at her for a few seconds longer before finally understanding who that woman was, «Is that friend Bang Chan…?«  
The fairy named Mina stared confused and nodded slowly, unconsciously proving Minho’s thoughts right; this was the Commandment of Repose.

\-----

Mina turned out to be a shy and quiet woman. Minho also found out that she was born in the same year as Chan and that they knew each other for like ten years. Apparently, Chan was born on one of the small islands in front of the south coast of Ospal (hence his accent, as it seemed) and Mina’s Mansion was on an even smaller island next to it. They met because Chan was visiting his family there and went out fishing, where they helped Mina catching one for herself when they saw her struggling. Turned out that they were both Commandments and because Mina was rather insecure, Chan had taken it upon himself to teach and guide her. If Minho wouldn’t know any better, he would’ve mistaken them as a couple. But Chan was very obviously not into Mina and given how she kept staring at the ground, Minho somehow felt like she was too shy for any relationship anyways.

Taehyung seemed to know her through Byeonghee but that didn’t stop Mina from being all reserved and quiet around him. Apparently, they met about two times and Taehyung either didn’t remember much of it or just liked making up stories. Maybe a little bit of both.

They were currently all seated in the conference room. Hyunjin didn’t really like being here and Minho also knew why. The conference room used to be where his father met up with his closest friends for some evening full of poker or blackjack and also for the occasional meeting the lords of the south-western kingdoms held. Hyunjin’s father had been a kind and welcoming man, but – just like his only son – very much able to be strict and serious if needed. This room held many memories for Hyunjin, and Minho understood why he tried to avoid it as good as possible.

Though, they were here because they had to discuss the situation in Atror and how they should get rid of Veteus. Now, that the direct opposites of Chaos were all together (finally), they could start planning their attack. Minho was honestly a little bit surprised Mina even agreed on participating. But she wasn’t a Commandment for nothing, right?   
The conference room was built to plan strategic moves. The round table in the middle of it was a perfectly crafted map of Ifith and all its most important cities, borders, and places. There even were wooden figurines to move around and represent certain kingdoms, people or just groups. It was where ancient people used to plan their attacks and organize their strategy.

Hence why they were here.

There weren’t enough chairs for everyone, so Minho stood behind of Jisung’s chair, paying close attention to his surroundings, the things everyone said and, of course, the potion expert himself.

It seemed like Namjoon had spent a lot of time in here over the last weeks, the map fully free of anything they didn’t need. He had magically transformed the figurines into small copies of the people in this room who were supposed to have an active role in all of this. Minho had already figured as much because of their organized Team Hell and Seungmin mission, but this really proved it to him; Namjoon was a tactical genius.

«Okay so, I was thinking a lot«, he finally started the conversation and made everyone pay close attention to him, «I tried thinking of different plans and strategies but in the end, I only came up with that one risky plan. Honestly, you’ll probably think it’s absolutely dumb and idiotic, but I want to give it a shot anyways because it’s seriously the best out of all my ideas.«  
Hyunjin nodded slowly and Namjoon continued, «So while planning this or rather trying to figure out a plan, I realized that we have…a couple of problems.« He took a wooden stick and directed it at Atror, making everyone look at the city on the map, «First of all; Atror is a fort. While the shields protect us and keep Veteus from breaking free, they also make this a lot harder. We could easily pass through them with some tricks and magical help. Jisung and Seungmin said that as soon as they left Atror with Seokjin and Chanyeol on their backs, Veteus attacked and barely missed them. Which means he has an eye on all the borders. Walking in just like that is like sending an invitation to the fight.«

Minho took in a breath and agreed, «Infiltrating the capital is impossible then?«  
Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly unsure of his answer, «It’s…difficult. I tried thinking of a way to sneak in, but I couldn’t think of anything in particular that wouldn’t catch his attention. There are certain secret pathways in and out of Atror and I know for a fact that there are maze-like catacombs under the city, somehow leading to the castle. But the shields are reaching under the earth as well – Veteus would notice an infiltration immediately.«  
«And now? You said your plan sounds stupid but it’s the best shot. What is your plan?«, Byeonghee asked slowly, raising an eyebrow questionably.

The Commandment of Pacifism sighed and let go of his lip after chewing around on it for what felt like ages, leaning back, and crossing his arms in front of his chest, «If we can’t sneak inside without him noticing, we need a distraction.«

Minho poked the inside of his cheeks – he wasn’t sure what to think of that yet but decided to listen anyways. Namjoon meanwhile took a figurine in his hands – a fox, as it seemed, which was probably supposed to show Jeongin – and positioned it at the western entrance to Atror. He then took another figurine and placed it northern of Atror – a weird position since there was no actual entrance there, as far as Minho knew.  
«The tricky part about all of this is that it only works when both teams enter Atror at the exact same time. Veteus would detect that as just one intruder and he wouldn’t think of someone breaking through the secret pathways into the catacombs. Just a second of delay would mean sudden death for our plan«, Namjoon explained.

Jisung cleared his voice, «It would also be a onetime thing. If we’d fail, Veteus would know our best trick to get inside. If we’d fail once, this wouldn’t work out again.«  
They silently nodded along, the quiet following being broken by Seokjin saying, «Okay, let’s suppose we’d go with that plan. What do you plan to do against the power of chaos inside of Atror’s shield?«  
Namjoon turned his head towards Jisung, «There is a potion…called the Vial of Harmony. It’s extremely hard to mix and you’d need something special for it to work properly…«  
Everyone glanced back and forth between the Commandment and the potion expert, Jisung clearly waiting for the other to elaborate with a rather calm expression on his face. The Wizard sighed and pointed at himself slowly, «You need to get a special flower that only grows in the Desert…«

To Minho’s surprise, the potion experts eyes twinkled. He stared at Namjoon and said, «So that’s where you sent Felix off to. You sent him out when I told you about Veteus being in Atror to get that flower, am I right?«  
Namjoon nodded slowly, absolutely not surprised that Jisung knew this. They stared at each other a little longer, until Jisung nodded, «Okay. But I’ll also need a little bit of your magical essence since you’re the Commandment of Pacifism – your magic has that little bit of divine power I need.«  
To that, Namjoon only nodded.

He proceeded onto the figurines, «Now, to the teams. As you may have noticed, I decided to use Jeongin as a distraction. But he’ll need help, which is why…« - he placed five other figurines next to the small fox, pointing at each one to clarify who was supposed to be who. He purposefully left one figurine unnamed yet, as it seemed - «Yeji, Chanyeol, Minho and Jisung will accompany Jeongin as the distraction. Your job will be to distract him as long as possible – keep him entertained, away from the castle and concentrated on you guys.«

Minho blinked, «Why does Jisung have to be on that team?« - «Yes, I was wondering the same thing«, the potion expert said while sheepishly raising a hand as if he’d sit in school, «I’m not really a good fighter, nor of any direct use – I’ll probably be more in the way than anything else.«  
The Commandment smirked and shook his head slowly, «And that’s where you’re wrong. There are three reasons why I want you to be in the Team Distraction. First of all; Seungmin told me that when you two escaped, Veteus was focused on you, which I thought was pretty weird. At first I thought it’s because you probably carried Seokjin, but Chanyeol told me that he was surprised you were able to support his weight. Veteus wanted to hit you and he was staring at you, right?«

A cold shiver went down Minho’s spine as he heard Jisung swallow slightly, nodding ever so slowly with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. Namjoon continued: «It was probably your magic. Magic Potion Experts are unnatural sorcerers. He probably felt that your magic was high and concentrated. Maybe he even feared you because his own magical power isn’t fully back yet. But he’d definitely watch out for and focus on you.«

Jisung snorted sarcastically, «Great, I’m the actual decoy then?«  
«Not only«, Namjoon admitted, «Chanyeol mentioned you guys met a guy named Jaebeom? I need you to find and make him sane again. Which is why…« - he pointed at the last figurine in that group and then looked at Seungmin - «…Our mysterious young priest will also follow you. Jaebeom is the head of the Security in Atror. His magic focuses on protection and shields – a lot of Atror’s shield is actually thanks to his magic, while Ranera just concentrates it with divine power to keep off any lurking evil. If anyone can gift you guys with more time and especially keep you safe when you distracted him enough, it’s him. Also, I owe him one and he’s a little bit mad at me.«  
«Idiot…«, Chanyeol mumbled and ignored the slap Namjoon gave him on the back of his head.

They all stared at the plan for a few seconds, listening to the Commandment explaining the details some more, «While you guys distract Veteus, Team Infiltration will try to get inside the Castle through the Catacombs. When we’re ready to start, we’ll give you a sign through the mind-link and that’s when you guys should have Jaebeom’s help to guard you with his magic.«  
«What if we weren’t able to find him when you’re ready?«, Seungmin asked, to which Namjoon simply said that they’d just had to find him.

He grabbed some new figurines and placed them next to the lonely one at the northern entrance, all about to explain the other Team, when Taehyung suddenly raised his hand and waited eagerly for Namjoon to allow him to speak with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Taehyung cleared his voice and said, «I have two questions. First of all; why does Jeongin have to be on that Team as well? And secondly; you said there are three reasons why Jisung has to join them, but you only named two. What’s the third?«

Minho knew he was done for when Namjoon smirked again, very obviously looking over at Jisung’s seat, his eyes alternating between the potion expert and Minho with wiggling eyebrows. Really, Minho would’ve loved to punch that smirk out of his face. «Because Minho wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyways if he’d be in the other team or not at his side at all, which I don’t need. Not at all; hence why I put him inside Team Distraction.« He ignored the nasty glare and Jisung’s beet-red cheeks and answered his other question by pointing at the next few figurines, «And Jeongin has to be on the other Team because he has a special connection to Hyunjin, who is going to be member one of Team Infiltration-…«  
«You suck at naming Teams, by the way. Group Hell was the worst name ever«, Byeonghee threw in and dodged the figurine Namjoon threw at him by catching it swiftly. Though, he kept listening when Namjoon continued, «As I was saying; Team Infiltration…« - he empathized the name with a glare towards Byeonghee - «…will consist of; Hyunjin, ByeongChan and – of course – Mina, Taehyung and Me. Our task is to find a way through the catacombs, _which is why_ we need Chan on that Team.«

They all turned their heads towards Chan – who was comfortably sitting on the armrest of Byeonghee’s chair – not bothered at their obvious ship-name and instead smiled amused, «Ah, I see; You think that I met her majesty often enough to know my way through the castle.«  
«And I’m right, am I?«, Namjoon said and Chan’s unbothered, sweet smile got even sweeter. He nodded his head towards Jisung though, «Theoretically spoken, yes. But I don’t know my way through the catacombs. I’ll need to stay in contact with Jisung-ie. His photographic memory can come in handy. He’ll have to guide me so I can guide you.«  
Minho was sceptical, «You want him to guide you while he is the decoy for Veteus _and_ looks for Jaebeom?«  
«He’s smart. And you’re there to protect him…right?«, Chan asked with a hint of a deep-blue flickering in his eyes. Minho couldn’t really say no because first of all, he knew that Jisung could handle this, and secondly; the Commandment of Reticence was right.

He grumbled and rested his hip against the backrest of Jisung’s chair with a pout, deliberately forcing himself to ignore the pitiful pats he got from the potion expert on his thighs.

They almost didn’t see the small trembling hand that went up, Namjoon sighing when he looked at Mina with a nice smile, «You don’t have to raise your hands, you know…«  
The fairy just nodded and bit her lip before saying, «W-Why do we even have to be in the castle anyways?«  
Namjoon threw a figurine at Taehyung when he noticed that the Sin of Sloth was spacing off into the dreamlands, his smile sweet while still looking at Mina and totally ignoring the Warlock’s displeased whine, «Me, you and Taehyung need to connect our magical powers and concentrate the energies of our Commandments and Sins in it in order to ban Veteus back into hell again. In order to do that though, we need a place where divine power is stored. If Veteus would walk around somewhere in Ifith, we could just travel to the next altar or ancient temple. But since we can’t afford him getting out of Atror, we need to get inside the highest concentrated altar in Atror; which is inside the castle, on the top of Alpha Centauri. Her Majesty performs her cleaning prayer there every New Year’s Eve.«

Ah yes, that made sense. Minho wasn’t entirely satisfied with the plan (mainly because Jisung was there), but he also understood why he was needed. And Namjoon did say that the plan was risky. This was a 50/50 situation; they’d either win or lose this.

\-----

A sigh left Minho’s lips when he saw Mina nervously sitting on one of the armchairs in Hyunjin’s salon later that day. It didn’t need an expert to see that she definitely wasn’t used to people, probably more of a loner and avoided interacting with others. Her position as a Commandment wasn’t that high and she probably usually wasn’t involved in a lot of things, at least not as intensely as that. Minho could imagine that she had to get used to this situation just like all of them. And the fact that Queen Ranera was nowhere to be seen in these times must add onto her uncomfortableness.

Because that’s what she literally represented right now; discomfort.

Jisung had showed her the library and barely stopped himself from talking about all the different books he had read already, to which Mina had smiled warmly, but she was still really bad at hiding how shy she still was. Minho guessed that the potion expert’s warm aura and cute face probably calmed her down enough to actually talk to him a little more than for example with Taehyung.

Out of experience though, he knew that shy people like her usually opened up more and more if you’d ask them a few things and pay them back by openly telling them some things about yourself as well.

Mysterious Minho was really lucky that Han Jisung had enough of a brain and social skills to know that as well because Minho wasn’t keen on telling the Commandment much about himself, if only for the fact that Jisung was here.

And – of course – because he didn’t need her to know his tragic life story.

«You’re a fairy, aren’t you?«, Jisung asked. The potion expert sat on an armchair in front of Minho, reading his potion book and memorizing the Vial of Harmony to mix it properly – he did have only one shot because Felix barely brought that Flower back without dying.   
Mina immediately looked up and nodded with slightly pink cheeks, gently tugging some of her blonde hair behind the pointy ears. Minho only now noticed that she had white strands in her otherwise blonde hair, barely visible due to her pale skin. «Uhm-…yes. I was born in the winter-woods of Rogrus, but my village was at the other side of the woods. We barely spoke to the royal family or the main-town«, she answered softly.

«So you don’t know Felix?«, Jisung asked and Mina answered, «I do. Of course, he’s our crown-prince, the heir of the Winter-Fairies. I’ve never seen him, but I know that he’s here – I can feel his energy, my inner Fairy is reacting to his magic.«  
Minho cleared his throat and tried to sound less scary (he figured that Mina was afraid of him because he unintentionally sounded strict and unfriendly), «I knew that Fairy-Wizards existed but I’ve never seen one. How was it when you were called by the gods?«

The Fairy frowned at the memory, a hint of nostalgia overshadowing her light-brown eyes as she answered: «I always knew that I’m…different. My magic was anything but icy or winter like my parent’s and I always felt a connection to air. Most Commandments and Sins know that something is off with them though, long before they get the Call of the Gods. My parents were…devasted. They cried for days and begged me to stay with them, at home. But I knew I had to leave, I had to answer the Call and move into the Mansion of Repose. It wasn’t easy…but I know it was the right decision. And I know I would’ve ended up there one way or another.«

«How so?«, Jisung seemed confused, «I mean, if you would’ve decided to ignore the Call…what would’ve happened?«  
Mina’s frown intensified, and she seemed to think deeply about her answer, «The God’s Call is…it’s not a choice you make. It’s an order. It’s…fate. Even if I would’ve stayed in my town, destiny would’ve forced me to get to that Mansion and answer the Call one way or another. Because that’s what I was born for. I don’t have a choice. I never had. And no one has one in front of a God.«

Minho couldn’t say it out loud, but he understood what Mina was trying to say. His thoughts were running around Atror and Ranera while thinking about the divination. He didn’t want it. But he got it because a God wanted him to have it. He didn’t have a choice. And in the end, it lead him to Jisung…didn’t it?

He focused his attention back on the conversation when Mina spoke up again, surprisingly enthusiastic and visibly more relaxed than ten minutes ago, «Speaking of which, I never met a magic potion expert. I’m not sure if you notice it yourself but the concentration of your magical power is incredible. It’s so unlike elemental magic and yet, I feel connected to you…«  
Something sparked through Jisung’s eyes, Minho couldn’t quite pinpoint it though. It disappeared as fast as it was there. He smiled at Mina as he answered plainly: «Chan had said the same thing, which is weird, honestly; I don’t have an affinity. My magic probably just messes with yours…«

It was off. The way he smiled, how he talked and acted. As if the question didn’t sit well with him. As if Mina asked something she shouldn’t have. The Fairy seemed to notice his weird behaviour as well, a nervous gulp echoing through the salon and her voice trembling slightly. «I-…uhm…how is it? Growing up as a…sorcerer with unnatural magic…?«  
For a few seconds, Minho feared that Jisung would get angry, passive-aggressive or even visibly mad. But the expression of discomfort disappeared just as fast as the weird glint Minho had seen in his eyes earlier, almost as if it were never there to begin with. Minho knew that this was a rather hard topic for him; the amount of information he had about Jisung’s past was limited but fairly enough to see that Jisung probably neither liked talked about it, nor wasting too many thoughts on it. And yet, Jisung (reluctantly) answered the Fairy, his voice uncharacteristically low and somehow emotionless.  
«…I’m not sure. I grew up with a magical defect and never really practiced magic until Hyunjin saved me with a Healing Prayer. You’d have to ask someone else about that…I pretty much grew up as a normal human.«

Dismissing. Short-cut. Ending. That’s how Jisung sounded – there was no room left to ask anything else about his life, about his childhood and how he grew up. Minho felt bad for Mina; just when she started getting more open and dared asking some things on her own accord, she hit a sensitive topic. It was so unlike Jisung that Minho wasn’t sure if this was reality or just one of his twisted dreams. It was at this moment that he realized there were tons of things he didn’t really know about him. Not only his past – also his behaviour. While Minho sometimes felt like he knew Jisung like the back of his hand, there were also times when he wasn’t sure who that person in front of him even was. Sometimes, Jisung acted out of character – so unlike his cheery and bubbly personality that it was scary. As if he had something inside that wasn’t…him.

Deciding that this was enough, Minho broke the silence by clearing his voice once again, directing the attention towards himself and away from Jisung, «Are you nervous about the upcoming plan, Mina?«  
Seemingly thankful for the distraction, the Fairy nodded slowly. «Yes. I never actually used my magic like this. And I never met a God of Hell…«  
«They’re not all that bad but Veteus really isn’t a nice company«, Minho joked and praised himself in his head when Mina smiled softly.

All of a sudden, Jisung hissed, his free hand immediately shooting up to his temple and his eyes squeezed shut in pain. The instant worry that washed over Minho’s whole body and mind was less surprising than it should’ve been, and it didn’t need two seconds for the Warlock to stand up and worriedly kneel down in front of the potion expert. Really, his legs had moved on their own.  
And yet, he couldn’t force himself to stop the obvious concern in his voice, «What is it?«

Jisung blinked his eyes open slowly, massaging the temple rather harshly, his gaze fixed on something on the page he was currently reading. Minho followed his stare and saw a description on how to mix the Vial of Harmony. In a small corner of it were some runic words scribbled down messily, some of it crossed out – Minho had a hard time reading them, especially upside-down, but managed to understand some runes that weren’t crossed as _‘mix together’_, _‘important’_ and _‘month’_. He didn’t understand why someone would write important things down in runic-letters but figured it must’ve been done by Jisung’s mother. Though, Minho had no idea out of which context or why. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if Jisung himself even knew.

The potion expert slowly closed the book and stood up on shaky legs, Minho immediately supporting him with anxious worry, «Wait, wait, where do you want to go?«  
«Sleep«, Jisung mumbled curtly, «I don’t really feel that good…«  
Well, yes; Minho figured. He decided to help Jisung and wrapped the potion expert’s arm around his shoulder, securely holding him at the waist while wishing Mina a good night for today.

Tugging Jisung inside his bed was easy but getting some answers out of him wasn’t really. Minho desperately wanted to know what happened but every time he asked, Jisung just shut his mouth, said he’s too tired or acted like he was falling asleep.  
Now, Minho wasn’t dumb. He knew for a fact that Jisung was lying to all of them about some things that happened a week ago with that Bastrath. He knew that because he saw things in his dream that Jisung didn’t mention. Maybe because he didn’t want to worry them more, maybe because he didn’t really understand it himself yet. But it was clear that Jisung was trying to distance himself and his thoughts, probably because he felt like that problem could wait a little bit longer.

A sigh left his lips as he stared at Jisung’s back, the potion expert stubbornly acting like he was falling asleep – though, his irregular breathing and nervous moving of his jaw told Minho otherwise.  
«That night, when the Bastrath attacked you…«, Minho started slowly, voice timidly low and eyes observing Jisung’s every move, «…I should’ve been there with you. But things between us were weird and I’m sorry about that. Though, I had a dream about you. More like…a nightmare.«

Minho escaped a tired laugh, «I’m not a dreamer. I usually sleep without anything going through my head, just…falling asleep and waking up. Like extinguishing a fire and lightning it again. Lately, my dreams seem to be the same every night. Me and you, doing something domestic like eating, walking, talking…something calm and reassuring. And then, suddenly, everything turns…dark and red. It smells of ashes and fire. And in the end of every dream…you die.«

Finally, he saw Jisung reacting. He flinched slightly, seemingly trying to find out what he should do. In the end, he shifted and sat up, turning around to face Minho on the bed, legs crossed and face uncharacteristically stoic. Minho decided to ignore that for now and continue talking, seeing as the potion expert didn’t try to say something anyways, «But that night…the nightmare was different. I was alone. And it was dark from the beginning on. Finally, there was that thing, lurking around me, coaxing me into giving up and letting go. But then I felt it. The Bastrath kept saying that it’ll be successful, that it’ll get the light. And then I woke up because I felt the scratches on my chest. I really don’t know what it was or why but…I just knew that you’re in danger. I ran off and told Hyunjin to light the house immediately. I just knew that you’ll need me.«

For a split second, Jisung’s eyes flickered down to the remnants of fading wounds Minho had on his chest, a small spark of guilt showing on his face. But he still remained silent.  
«I guess I’m just trying to say, that…while sometimes, I just know something is wrong, I can’t help you if you won’t let me. Even if I know it, even if I have proof that you’re not okay or that something is bothering you…if you’re building up that iron wall, I can’t help you«, Minho finally said and avoided eye contact, the void expression in Jisung’s eyes suddenly feeling like a knife – as if he was intentionally trying to stab him with his look just to keep the Warlock away. And worse was; it kind of worked.

«…When I was looking at the page earlier, at the runes on the corner…a memory hit me«, Jisung mumbled quietly after some time, «It was…hectic and my vision was blurry in that memory. It felt like…like I was back there. I know for a fact that I was a child. It was night and winter. And I was feeling so cold…and tired. So tired. My mother kept mumbling stuff and I think she was talking to my father. So I guess it was before he disappeared all of a sudden. Mother’s eyes were glistening in tears and she kept patting my cheek, telling me to stay awake because we’d be there soon. I think I was lying in a carriage.«  
Minho blinked, confusion making him frown. He wasn’t sure what that memory meant but he somehow felt like it was important. Jisung though wasn’t done, «It reminds me of something the Bastrath said. He said that…we met. That it wasn’t the first time he saw me. And that back then, it was snowing, and I was a child. I don’t know why but I feel like this memory and what the Bastrath told me are…_connected_.«

There were thousand possibilities and answers to both things, that being one of them. Minho couldn’t give Jisung an answer and that was probably why he tried hiding it; because no one could help him with it anyways.  
«Also…«, Jisung’s cheeks were suddenly slightly pink, his fingers nervously playing with the sheets and eyes drifting away, «What happened last week between…us. I don’t know how to say this but…uhm…you’re my safe-space.«  
Minho blinked again, «Huh?«  
«You’re…a safe-space. For me«, Jisung tried explaining, his voice low and every word hard to catch because he was close to whispering, «I don’t know why and I’m sure you know the answers because…I don’t know, I’m certain you have a couple of secrets and I also know for a fact that there are many things you purposefully don’t tell me or even lie about. But when I’m with you, I feel safe. I feel…warmth and it’s calming. It feels like…like as long as I’m with you, there’s nothing that isn’t possible. And like nothing can hurt me. So uhm…since I can’t rest without you, I’ll claim this side of your bed as mine, as compensation for almost forcing yourself on me a week ago.«

All of Minho’s braincells stopped working in an instant. He almost didn’t see Jisung immediately hiding under the covers and blowing out the candle on his nightstand. Almost didn’t realize that yes, Han Jisung was indeed embarrassed and tried hiding it. At first, there was the instant need to defend his pride and tell Jisung that he did not try to force himself on him by pushing him into the mattress. But Minho swallowed his instable emotions and stayed calm, instead deciding to stare at the red ears poking out from under the blanket.

A chuckle left his lips as he fondly smiled, magically extinguishing the flame on his own nightstand, and cuddling up behind Jisung. The potion expert flinched slightly when he felt Minho’s hands on his waist but immediately relaxed when the Warlock whispered softly, «Well then, I’m claiming you as my personal heater because usually, I cuddle my pillow but since you’re here, that’s how you’ll pay for the side of this bed.«

Jisung hummed softly and then seemed to drift off into the dreamlands.

And while Minho indeed was thinking about the dark things and about the memories Jisung just mentioned, he couldn’t ignore how his heart was beating rapidly against his ribcage, how his thoughts were also running around Jisung’s words and how there were butterflies in his stomach.

He tried ignoring it, knowing that it wasn’t good. But for now, in this situation, he decided to close his eyes and enjoy the feeling of Jisung in his arms. Because for now, nothing would happen. And he wouldn’t let it escalate.

Minho definitely wouldn’t…right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaannnddddd???
> 
> i don't know why but I live for Mina! I love having her in here and I hope you like her just as much. She seems a little bit shy but trust me, she isn't a commandment for no reason :D  
Originally, she wasn't supposed to be a Fairy (honestly lmao). But I somehow felt like it suits her and I also wanted to show that while fairies have an own kind of natural magic - like for example felix - they can also be born as wizards and warlocks; just like hybrids or normal humans.
> 
> as always, thank you so much for reading uwu  
feel free to tell me what you thought about the chapter! I hope you're excited because the first big fight will start soon and it'll be one hell of a roller coaster :D
> 
> stay healthy and save! <33


	23. brew of foresee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly, terribly sorry for the delay  
I had some...really depressive problems lol and uhm...yeah, it was quite hard for me the last couple of weeks which was why I basically locked myself away from everything and everyone. I'm sorry ><  
I'm feeling a little better now though
> 
> First of, I have to admit, I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter because it's a freaking mess. But it was supposed to be a mess...well, I hope you somehow get it. I'll get back to that in the end notes...
> 
> For now, enjoy reading and keep being focused on everything because there is a lot of information in this one :)

**Brew of Foresee;  
Seeing the future – it’s something many people would probably kill for. How easy life would be if you’d know what happens depending on your decisions. Knowing what you signed up for, knowing what good and bad things will come to you; just knowing in general. That’s a power people would kill for and unfortunately, they really did and sometimes still do for this potion. The Brew of Foresee is a difficult potion; there are various recipes for it, and no one really knows which one is the real deal. There’s one ingredient that is listed in every recipe though; something human. Which can be interpreted in multiple ways, but most people think they just need a hand or a hair. Some assume that the more important the ingredient is for living, the better the potion gets. Though, no one ever considered that ‘something human’ could also be…a feeling. A memory. An emotionally important object. The Brew of Foresee allows its user – if mixed correctly, that is – to foresee the next twenty-four hours.  
And boy, what would most of us give to have that…right?**

Minho wasn’t exactly feeling good about this. He should, of course, but his nerves were all over the place. Jisung’s giddy smile when Jin succeeded in performing the healing spell on Felix was enough to let Minho calm down.

They were supposed to head towards Atror, Namjoon and his team had been gone prior to Team Distraction (still a dumb name but they decided to keep it simple). It was extremely important that they managed to do their part of the job accurately and on time, especially finding Jaebeom which probably wouldn’t be as easy. But right before Team Distraction wanted to head out as well, Ryujin came running downstairs to the portal room and begged Seokjin to perform a healing spell on Felix and the unknown wolf because apparently, they both had started breathing regularly again at the exact same time. Though they were in a hurry, Jisung wanted to stay back and see if it’ll work. And so, they contacted Namjoon and told them that they had a delay, to which the Wizard only said that it was fine since, apparently, Chan got motion sickness from the carriage and they had to make a break.

For some reason, Minho was fifty percent sure that Chan only pretended to feel sick because he knew that Felix and the Wolf would need Jin. Not like Seokjin was needed on the mission itself anyway – Namjoon had stated that Jin was forced to stay here if needed, not wanting to risk him getting hurt or anywhere near Veteus again. But then again, Minho had no idea what Chan knew or didn’t know, and that mere fact annoyed him more than anything else.

Well, _almost_ anything else.

His nerves were not satisfied with waiting and he never felt as relieved as when Felix suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, the wolf doing the same in an instant even though Jin didn’t even touch him yet. Ryujin frowned at the wolf in confusion, «W-Why is he…healed?«  
Jisung probably answered on an instinct, Minho already hearing his apology for the photographic memory in his head as the potion expert said, «I’m not sure if this is accurate in this situation, but I read that wolves can have special connections to certain people. They can even form that bond in order to save their packmates by, for example, sharing warmth through it or transmitting some of their healing process to the partner. If that wolf did that with Felix, it would also explain why the wolf didn’t wake up way sooner and healed the same pace as him.«

Jin blinked and retreated from Felix’s bed, «Yes. Accurate. Ryujin, I want you to keep an eye on both of them. I’ll be in the library if you need anything.«  
The healer-mage barely had a chance to answer when Jin already turned around and left. He had already wished them good luck and even though Jin tried to hide it, he was a little bit pissed off that Namjoon wouldn’t let him have his part in this mission as well.

Minho waited for Jisung, who tenderly squeezed Felix’s hand one last time and patted the wolf’s head, before smiling at Ryujin and nodding towards Minho, telling him that he was ready to go as well.

The teleportation to the nearest point to Atror was – as always – a hassle. Yeji went first and for some reason ended up in the northern sea (probably because of her affinity to water), coming back with freezing skin but a giddy smile on her features as she was told to teleport with Jeongin this time. Chanyeol had a discussion with Seungmin about how the last time they wanted to teleport, he had almost let go of the young priest’s wrist and they only stopped once Minho told them that they were acting ridiculously childish. Eventually, they travelled through space and Jisung and Minho were the last ones to go.  
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Jisung almost emptied his stomach when they arrived in one of Zodrium’s teleportation spots. Minho gently rubbed his back and tried to calm him down, finally (but quietly) accepting the fact that Jisung will probably never get used to teleportation and travelling through space.

Their journey through the woods was quite eventful:  
At first, Yeji was the one who lead the way through them, claiming she’d know the way since Ryujin used to live around here and explained her where to go. Though, Yeji’s brain seemed to have lost any information the healing mage had given to her and eventually, Chanyeol took over for her;  
Chanyeol wasn’t any better though, for he kept walking in a circle without even noticing;  
Seungmin started picking a fight with him, complaining about how he was supposed to know the way through these woods since Team Seungmin went through here back then to originally meet Ranera. _Twice_;  
Jisung tried getting their attention a various amount of times, no one really listening though, while Jeongin remained unbothered with an amused and witty grin on his fox-like features, his nine tails excitedly swinging around each other in utter entertainment;  
In the end, Minho managed to shut Chanyeol and Seungmin up (again), so Jisung finally had the chance to tap his head twice and make anyone remember that he had a photographic memory and therefore clearly knew where they are supposed to go.

About two hours later, they finally saw the borders of Atror and the magic shield, it’s dark-red colour seemingly bleeding in the grey, dull sky.  
A sigh left Minho’s lips as he asked Jeongin to connect his mind to Hyunjin’s, informing the other Team that they were almost there.

Once they stood in front of the shield, only a few centimetres away from trespassing it, Minho felt not only his own, but everyone’s nerves spiking up to literally heaven and beyond. They all heard Namjoon’s voice in their head, _«Okay, guys. This is the real deal, we talked this through a dozen times. For Veteus to notice you first, you have to trespass a slight second before us and one after another. Once we all drank the potion Jisung mixed for us, we’ll do exactly that. Prepare yourselves for everything and keep Veteus focused on you while looking for Jaebeom. I know you won’t like this, but I’ll empathize that it’ll be easier if you guys split up.«_

Oh yes, he was right; Minho really didn’t like that. But he also saw the point and understood why they should split up. Meanwhile, Chan had started talking, continuing from where Namjoon left off, _«Stay alert for the people that are affected by Veteus; they will probably get even more aggressive once he’ll feel provoked. Remember that those are still humans though and that they’re not acting on their own accord. So if you have to somehow stop them, consider that, and try to be as harmless as possible.«_  
They all spoke their agreement and finally, Byeonghee on the other line said, _«Good. Now, let’s take a few seconds to calm down, okay?«_

Minho turned around to look at his Team, all of them a straight and serious look on their faces. Chanyeol took the bell for Aurora, his phoenix, out of his inner pocket and handed it to Seungmin with a glint of worry, «I suggest that Seungmin and Jisung take Jeongin with them and part from us. Take Aurora’s bell with you just in case you’ll need her.«  
Seungmin quietly nodded and took the bell, securely placing it inside his own pocket while exchanging a look with his best friend. Jisung didn’t look as nervous as he probably should. Honestly, Minho was almost certain he looked a lot more nervous than the potion expert.

He gently tugged at his wrist and heaved a sigh, placing a comforting hand on Jisung’s shoulder – the touch was more to calm his own nerves than the other’s though, «I don’t like parting from you, but you have Jeongin on your side. If anything happens, anything, tell him to get me immediately. Do you understand?«  
Though Jisung usually liked teasing or arguing back because _‘he could handle himself just fine’_, the potion expert nodded obediently. Right when Minho wanted to take his hand away from his shoulder, Jisung grabbed his sleeves though and stared into the Warlock’s eyes. There were so many emotions in his eyes and Minho wasn’t quite sure how to interpret them; most prominent though was the obvious glint of worry and yet so much determination. If Jisung was scared, he definitely wasn’t showing it.  
«Be careful«, he finally uttered out, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, «Please…please just watch out for yourself and don’t do anything stupid. No matter what happens.«

It somehow felt…wrong. But Minho nodded anyways and promised Jisung to take expertly good care of himself. Whatever that was supposed to mean; he was way more worried about the potion expert than himself. Well, maybe…he meant exactly that.

They all drank the Vial of Harmony and the protection Potion against the shields to protect their bodies from both, the shields and Veteus’ influence, and told Namjoon that they were ready to go. The Wizard started counting down from five to one, telling them that they’d have to start walking in by two, one after another.

And once Minho felt the magic of the shield go through him without killing him, he was torn between sighing relieved and excitedly jumping up and down. Though he wasn’t sure what to think about his own reflexes when he saw something flying towards him in an immense speed. Minho dodged whatever tried hitting him, his ears hearing a faint buzz behind him and once he turned around to take a look, he saw a burned space in the slowly recovering shield.

Now, the question was; should he be glad or feel nervous, now that their plan actually worked out, Byeonghee telling them through the mind-link that they successfully entered the catacombs without anyone bothering them.

Veteus was here and he was deadly concentrated on one thing and one thing only; Team Distraction, as planned.

When Chanyeol shouted a stressed _‘go’_ and they split up, Minho almost had to force his own legs to stay rooted where they were and ignore Jisung running towards some direction, away from him and away from his control. Instead, he concentrated his magic and attacked Veteus when he tried taking a full step towards Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin, making the god focus on himself instead.  
He smirked, trying to act like he wasn’t bothered by any of this at all and totally expected it to escalate as fast as it just did while saying with his most hubristic voice, «Now, now. I don’t want to miss my chance of kicking your lame ass – should’ve done so years ago, after all the bullshit you pulled on Ednera.«

And luckily, Veteus totally did not like that attitude and forgot about the other three running away, solely focusing on Minho, Chanyeol and Yeji, who all started concentrating their magic.

He really tried not to, but a cocky smirk set itself on Minho’s face as he felt the magic run through his body in full concentration – a feeling he didn’t have in a long time. And it felt even better when Veteus halted in his steps for a few seconds, processing the fact that Minho’s magical level was indeed high enough to mess with the god’s not fully recovered magic yet.

«Let’s have some fun, shall we?«, he said and then attacked.

\-----

«Feels nostalgic«, Jisung heard Seungmin say as they ran next to each other, making a sharp U-turn to avoid some people. He couldn’t help laughing at the memory it stirred once he realized what his best friend was hinting at, «Yeah, you’re right. Almost makes me feel like we’re running away from Miss Lee because she caught us skipping P.E again. Which is ridiculous because we ended up running more than the others.«  
Seungmin shared his laugh and they stopped in an alley to take a breather, Jeongin jumping onto Jisung’s shoulder – the boy had transformed himself into his fox-form when they started to run.  
«Okay, let’s look for Jaebeom«, the potion expert finally said and leaned back on the wall for a few seconds, «Where do you think could he be?«

The young priest sighed, shrugging tired while crossing his arms in front of his chest in deep thought, «I don’t know. Let’s suppose he never left the sorcerer’s district; then we’d first have to somehow leave this district because we’re currently in the human’s district.«  
_«I can help with that!«_, Jeongin’s voice echoed through their heads, _«When I rescued Minho, Hyunjin told me to teleport to the market-plaza in the sorcerer’s district because it’s central. Give me a second-…!«_

Before Jisung could say anything or even prepare himself properly, Jeongin had grabbed their wrists and the next thing he knew was that he was almost falling back into the big fountain of the market-plaza, dizzy from the teleportation. Seungmin dragged him away from the dangerous centric position, Jisung needing a few seconds to swallow down any nauseous feeling.  
«Jeongin, I’m really grateful that you spared us a lot of time and many issues but-…«, he stopped to breath in slowly, sure that his face was green from how nauseous he felt, «…if you ever teleport me again like this without letting me prepare, I will murder you.«

_«I’m already dead«_, Jeongin answered with a smirk on his face, which softened fast though as he smiled apologetic, _«But I’m sorry, Hyung. I won’t do it again unless it’s necessary.«_  
Jisung nodded and they promptly decided that they should start with the location they last spoke with Jaebeom; the headquarters of the MSLE-Unit. They almost ran into some really aggressive citizens a few times, Jeongin promptly forcing some wicked sleeping spell on most of them.

To their bad luck though, Jaebeom was nowhere to be found in the headquarter.

Just when they wanted to step out of the building, Jisung felt a sudden rush of magic run through him; it was powerful. He had to stop for a few seconds to calm down a little bit, Jeongin though, seemed used to it and Seungmin wasn’t bothered by it for obvious reasons. For some reason, Jisung felt like he also knew that magic – it felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

His thoughts were interrupted with Chan’s familiar voice in his head, ringing like an echo but yet strangely enticing, _«Sung-ie? We walked up the stairs, like you told me, and I tried following your orders, but it seems like…I turned wrong a few times? We’re lost…«_

Darn it, Jisung was also supposed to help Chan and the others with the catacombs. He sighed and told Jeongin to keep all his senses on high alert while he was focusing on the memorized map, Seungmin securely holding him while they walked through the city, looking for Jaebeom.  
The map of the catacombs seemed as clear as the view around Jisung in his head when he asked, «Where are you right now? Describe it.«  
Chan hesitated but eventually answered, _«We’re…it’s a dead end? But there’s water. A lot of water. Like…it’s not good water it’s the catacomb water, if you know what I mean.«_

Jisung almost had to stifle a laugh, his mind already suspecting where Chan lead them to, «Did you…walk down?«  
_«Yes and it was awful – Taehyung tripped and let me tell you, he does not appreciate dirty water or being wet in general«_, Chan said in his most whiny voice.  
«Okay so to get back on track, walk back, turn right and then left, follow the path to the end and the turn right again – that’s when you should see her majesty’s emblem and I assume you remember it from then on«, Jisung finally said and the Commandment sighed dreamily.  
_«You’re a treasure, Sung-ie!«_, Chan’s voice beamed in his head, _«If I wouldn’t be so afraid of Minho, I’d kiss you.«_

«Oh!«, Seungmin suddenly exclaimed and stopped both himself and Jisung as soon as the connection between Chan and the potion expert was gone. He pointed towards something ahead of them, forcing them both down to hide behind a bench, «Jaebeom! And that’s Bambam over there!«

Jisung almost wanted to jump in utter excitement when he caught sight of the two guards – they were currently walking around each other, seemingly in their own little world of chaos, snarling at the other as soon as he was one step too close.  
He briefly connected himself with the others over the mind-link, telling them that him, Seungmin and Jeongin had been successful; they had found the Headguard.

\-----

The amount of times some deadly shot from Veteus missed Minho wasn’t even countable anymore. He had been confident and eager to kick some ass, but it seemed like Veteus got stronger with every second passing. Which was concerning, to say the least.  
Besides worrying about whether or not Jisung was fine, he had to keep an eye out for Yeji; she was a gifted Witch and trained by Hyunjin – though, her control slipped more often than not. The problem wasn’t that she had to be protected. No, actually, Yeji was having no problem avoiding hits from Veteus. The problem was her own magic; Minho had to sneak himself in and perform a barrier around it, similar to how Hyunjin has to with Jisung whenever he mixes some potion. Yeji’s magic was strong and she was always rather bad at dealing with it.

And then, there was something else bothering Minho.

A few minutes ago, Jisung told them through the mind-link that they found Jaebeom and were now figuring out a plan how to get him and Bambam out of their chaotic trance (apparently, Jaebeom’s friend was also there with him). Almost immediately, Chan had shared through their link that they arrived at the castle’s entrance and were now about to sneak their way through it.

It bothered Minho, something was…off. Everything went so smoothly, everything seemed so…_easy_.

He allowed himself to step back for a second and connect his mind with Namjoon only, speaking to him through the link so that the others didn’t hear them, «Joon, something is weird. I don’t feel good about this.«

It took a few seconds and Minho countering an attack for the Wizard to answer, his voice a whisper and concern lacing its tone, _«Yes, I agree. My plan was full of risks and luck – getting inside Atror and keeping Veteus entertained was way too easy.«_  
The conversation died down once Minho felt a strong impact of magic running through his body, the shield around Atror glowing up for a few seconds before diming down again. Only moments later, Jisung’s voice echoed through his head, _«Okay good thing; Seungmin cured Jaebeom and Bambam.«_

Minho immediately stopped all his movements and retreated into an alley, focusing on Jisung – something was off. His voice was shaky and husky, he had barely whispered. It seemed like the others also felt the potion expert’s weird behaviour, for Chan’s calming voice said, _«What happened? Something happened, didn’t it?«_  
_«S-Seungmin passed out and…and he’s s-shaking. And glowing? I-…I don’t know he-…«_, a sudden loud noise echoed through both, the link and the whole city, the ground beneath his feet shaking violently.  
He could hear Chan’s voice desperately trying to get through and reach Jisung, but Minho knew for a fact that the connection was gone. Chanyeol’s loud voice made him startle out of his head within an instant, his focus drifting back and forth between trying to listen to Chan in his head and Chanyeol’s frantic waving in front of his face, all the while Minho’s gut screamed at him to immediately summon Jeongin and look for Jisung.

Minho also suddenly realized that it was dark outside. Like, pitch-black dark. Not a good sign, definitely not, considering that meant Veteus’ magical chaos was now influencing the day and night time.  
While Chanyeol and Yeji both started discussing through mind-link with Namjoon, Minho’s attention suddenly diverted towards some movement in his peripheral vision. He didn’t really see what it was, though, it had been white and fast. He heard a whisper, barely audible and almost too raspy to even understand half of it, but he managed, _«I’ll get it for Master…«_

Somehow, those few words set off all of Minho’s alarm systems. Without even sparing a glance towards the other’s he went after that thing he just saw, ignoring Chanyeol’s confused shouts and Byeonghee’s voice in his head when he asked him what the freaking fuck he was doing right now.

Minho disconnected himself from the mind-link with the others and tried getting through Jisung’s, searching for his aura with his magic. It didn’t work though, so he tried the same with Seungmin and Jeongin – to no avail. Something happened.  
He just knew. He felt it in all of his bones, felt it like some electric shocks running through his body and seemingly keeping him static all the time.

He could hear the whispers again, a raspy mumbling of curses and some inaudible things. Minho walked past some citizens and alleyways, always cautious to keep a certain distance between himself and whatever he tried to follow in this darkness. Luckily, he never had any problems orientating himself in the dark – would’ve been really ironic if he did, to be quite honest. Minho stopped walking when he realized that his target did so too. He gasped inaudibly when it turned around and revealed long legs and arms, a pale skinny body and no eyes, its face instead showing a bright mouth with sharp teeth and bloody lines of drool dripping down its chin. Minho connected himself with the mind-link and tried reaching Namjoon – but the Wizard seemed unavailable. He barely managed to somehow connect himself with everyone else and mumble a choked _‘help’_ before the Bastrath turned around, grinned widely and lunged forwards…

\-----

Jisung felt his head pounding when he opened his eyes again. He barely remembered what happened, the last thing he could recall was hovering over Seungmin’s shaking body. He immediately sat up from the cold floor, his eyes meeting a red shield glowing slightly in the setting sunlight.

His eyes caught sight of Jaebeom softly patting Bambam’s back when the latter also seemed to wake up.   
«What in the name of Ranera happened…?«, Jisung asked and looked around himself, almost jumping out of his skin when Jeongin jumped onto his shoulders in his fox-form.   
_«There was some really weird light and a sudden loud sound…but we passed out because of a divine power«_, the small fox said and Jisung now started to suddenly remember.

The glowing. The shaking. The scream. The air getting thicker and Jaebeom just in time casting a protection spell around them before whatever it was that suddenly radiated such power could hurt them in any way. Jisung just hoped the others were fine.  
He looked around again and frowned, hectically standing up, «Wait. Where is Seungmin?«  
As if his inner panic about the disappearance of his best friend wasn’t enough, Jisung also suddenly felt something sharp digging into his arms. He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, staring at the lines that slowly ripped his skin open out of nowhere. He felt his heartbeat quicken and his thoughts were running around in his heads like panicking people, his brain though immediately cutting short when the lines stopped, and he was able to read a bloody message on his inner arm.

_‘I got him’_.

And for some reason, Jisung just knew what’s happening.

He connected his mind to Chanyeol’s and immediately heard his confused rambling, _«What happened? Are you guys alright? There was this sudden energy, and everything turned dark and my ears hurt because of that loud noise and now, Veteus is gone-…«_ \- «Where is Minho?«, Jisung interrupted the Commandment shortly.  
Chanyeol stopped talking and Jisung could almost see the frown on his face, _«I…don’t know. I thought he’s with you, since he suddenly ran off…«_

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Jisung forced himself to stay as calm as possible and begged Chanyeol to try and follow where Minho ran off to.

Jisung ignored Jaebeom and Bambam when they tried arguing, tapping Jeongin’s side softly, «Innie, I need you to take me to Minho. Can you feel him?«  
Jeongin blinked and took a deep breath. The next second, Jisung saw his small body glowing up on his shoulders and the world was spinning around him until his feet suddenly landed on the ground of some dark alleyway. The fox inhaled sharply, _«Hyung, this smell-…«_

And then, Jisung saw it.

Right next to a window and a dumpster, his body hung on the wall of the house they were standing behind of. His wrists were pinned to the wall by some metal things, his skin even paler than usual and blood stained, the dark hair tinted in red and some of the red liquid dripping off of his strands every few seconds, forming a small puddle beneath him. Jisung stepped forward and tried not to gasp at how badly Minho’s arms were ripped apart, how bloody his face was and how…dead he seemed.

With shaking hands, Jisung reached out to grab the metal things chaining Minho onto the wall like some executed criminal, his eyes catching sight of the bloody message in the other’s arm clearly saying, _‘I got him’_.

But he was shaking way too much. And his vision got blurry – if from exhaustion, stress or because of the tears streaming down his face, Jisung didn’t know. He could barely hear a whimper when he tried getting Minho down from that wall, failing miserably though. The whimper turned into a whisper and eventually, Jisung understood that it was Minho himself who tried to talk – who tried to say Jisung’s name.  
«I-…I’ll get you. I’m trying, okay? This…I’m so sorry Minho. This…this is my fault. This is my fault, it’s my fault. I’m so sorry…I-…I’m-…«, Jisung couldn’t stop his shaking body or the trembling lips, not when Minho tried saying something else. His eyes slowly opened and revealed a striking pink – the same pink and magenta he had in his eyes whenever he tried calming Jisung down or softly smiled over his clumsy behaviour. And then, Minho’s eyes fluttered close again.

Jisung couldn’t even do anything against it when he felt someone softly pulling his shaking body away from Minho. His ears were dull to Yeji’s voice and Chan’s drastic mumbling about what happened inside his head. Instead, Jisung fell onto the ground while sobbing, his tears making him see nothing and a strangled sob leaving his lips as he buried his face in his hands.

And the last thing he registered before blacking out, was himself mumbling a quiet _«This is my fault«_. He didn’t even know _why_ this was his fault. Or why he said that. He just knew. For some reason, he just knew that Minho had only ran off…_because of him_.

Veteus was gone. He didn’t know why and apparently, Namjoon and the others had nothing to do with it.

But Jisung should’ve known that something was off. That this…had been way too easy.

And it was his fault.

\-----

_«There is darkness coming for us, Minho-ssi«, she said, her voice as soft and timid as you’d expect it to be from her. A chuckle left her lips, though, nothing like a joyful or amused laugh, «Excuse my wording – I didn’t try to offend you. The darkness I am talking about is worse. It’s what made me do the things I did back then, it’s what made _them_ do what _they_ did back then, and it will come for us. It will come for_ all _of us.«_

_Minho didn’t quite understand what she was trying to say. He usually wasn’t here, barely had anything to do with her apart from monthly reports like they all did. But this particular time, she had demanded his audience – which was weird, he wasn’t any of her concern. That didn’t mean that he could just say no, of course. But that also didn’t mean he couldn’t be confused.  
And her words were just as confusing as the whole situation seemed ridiculous.  
«With all due respect, your Majesty«, Minho started and swallowed when she didn’t even flinch or turn around. Though, as she also didn’t stop him in any way, he continued, «If what you’re saying is true, why would you want me here? I’m not the most powerful one, nor am I of any need for you or this world. I can’t…help you with this danger that’s coming for all of us, as you just told me. And even if I would be able to do something against it; I’d need assistance. The others. Why am I the only one who’s here, your Majesty?«_

_She chuckled again. But it sounded tired. Strained. Her short, blonde hair seemed to glow goldish in the light of the rising sun that shone through the crystal clear glass of her window. She stared outside, the golden skin seemingly reflecting the sunlight as if she were born out of stars and light._

_It made sense, after all. But it was a mesmerizing sight, nonetheless._

_She finally turned around, her eyes glowing the faintest mixture of yellow, blue, and white all in one, stars shining in them as if they were one of those sparkling stars themselves. But there was something in her eyes, something…hidden, something **dark**.  
Something was wrong, and Minho knew that the second she opened her mouth again, stepping forward while tenderly placing a hand of hers on top of his head, warmth immediately spreading through him upon being touched by the Majesty herself.  
«This may feel…overwhelming at first. Even for you, Minho-ssi. But I want you to accept the divine just for this moment, just for this second. Accept it and let the stars show you…what they showed to me…«, she said and within the next second, Minho saw a variety of different things._

** _Wings and an ace._ **

** _A pink light, embracing something dark._ **

** _The sea._ **

** _An oak tree, symbolizing power, and courage._ **

** _An orange fire._ **

** _A snowflake._ **

** _Yellow eyes._ **

** _An orange-brownish spark that pulsated like a heart._ **

** _The pictures suddenly disappeared and showed something else; red skies, dark shadows, and bloody rivers. Demons, people screaming, the smell of ashes and death._ **

** _Most importantly; a creature standing on a heap of corpses, eyes as dark and void as the nothingness that lured behind the light and dark, horns visible as a silhouette in the dark-red sky, blood dripping from its claws audibly._ **

** _The thing had an aura, unlike everything Minho ever felt – filled with hatred and evil, nothing comparable even existing as purely disgustingly evil as this._ **

** _And then, a voice cut straight through Minho’s frozen thoughts, strange and yet so familiar that goose bumps formed on his arms. It was light and sweet, honey-filled, and so, so warm – Minho almost wanted to drown himself in that voice if it wasn’t for its absolutely desperate and anxious words; «Protect me!«_ **

_The vision ended abruptly._

_Judging by how her Majesty still had her hand on Minho’s forehead and just now took it off, it had barely been five seconds since she even touched him. And yet, it felt like hours passed.  
Minho frowned, «I-…I don’t understand. Your Majesty, I-…«  
«The Divination was passed onto one of the chosen ones. You will have the divine task to do anything in your power to fulfil it. I failed back then. I chose the wrong path, Minho-ssi. I blamed my dearest sister for the things that happened…even though there was nothing she could’ve done to prevent the evil back then. My mistakes can not repeat themselves. You need to prevent the War between Heaven and Hell. This time…it needs to end as soon as the evil is here. And it will come, Minho-ssi«, the Queen said._

_Her sparkling eyes seemed darker now, still shining, but somehow…dull._

_Minho swallowed and hissed when he felt something on his breast – he glanced into his shirt and saw the holy sign of the Goddess, a star, barely visible as anything else but a faint scar if you didn’t look at it directly.  
A sign that Minho had a divination. And a promise to her Majesty herself.  
She sighed again, this time smiling warmly and apologetically, «If I would’ve been able to force this onto someone else, trust me, Minho-ssi, I would’ve done it. But unfortunately, you must have the divination. You will suffer. A lot. And you will think that…that death is better than anything else, better than living through this any longer than you probably already did. Your life had been hell up until now and I made it worse…«_

_There was an ugly feeling running up Minho’s spine, like cold water hitting you unprepared. Minho’s eyes caught sight of something lurking behind her; something ugly, something evil and dark. He wanted to move or say something, but he couldn’t. Instead, the things now touched her legs and slowly travelled up the golden skin, covering her body in nothing but darkness.  
She didn’t shout or scream, didn’t even try to get rid of the shadows.  
A calm smile was on her lips as she continued audibly weaker than before, «…Find them, Minho. Find them all and save this world. Because if you don’t, we will all die. There are going to be times when you will think that I’m wrong, when you will think that you can’t breathe without him. You will hate yourself for this, even more than you already do now. But he is-…he is…« - she gasped, the shadows rising up to her shoulders, her golden hair turning black and her eyes slowly losing the sparkles she usually held in them - «…there i-is…no time. M-Minho-ssi. You cannot, under n-no circumstances, l-leave him alone. If, a-at some point, y-you will feel l-like dying is okay…I w-want you to remember my words; **h-he needs you. And y-you need to wake up. You can’t die y-yet.**_

_Wake up…_

_…wake up, Minho-ssi…«_

_The darkness fully covered her body, swallowing her up as if she were nothing of a Goddess, as if she didn’t control the light and the stars. As if she wasn’t the holy Queen of Ifith and Goddess of Heaven. Minho watched the shadows swallow her…and within the next second, she was gone.  
The doors to her personal chambers opened all of a sudden, guards storming inside and grabbing him at his arms, forcing him down onto the floor, demanding to know what he had done to the Queen and Goddess.  
But Minho couldn’t answer. He couldn’t say anything. Because this was a divination. And even if he would’ve wanted to tell them about the shadows, about everything she had just told him as well…he couldn’t. And so, he let himself be dragged away by the guards, dragged away into the tower, and let himself get sentenced to death for something he didn’t do._

_And while he was dragged across the floor like a lifeless doll, his eyes full of void, he suddenly heard a voice._

_Soft and honey-filled, sweet, and luring. The voice from earlier. And it said;_

_«…Protect me, Minho…«_

_«…Wake up…Minho, you need to wake up…_

_…wake up…_

_…**wake up!**«_

_And then, he passed out…_

\-----

Minho sucked in a sharp breath. His lungs felt like they were burning, the air that flooded his body seemed unknown and yet so welcome. He knew for a fact that he was in the infirmary back at Hyunjin’s mansion. His heart was racing, slowly beating slower and slower with every calming breath he was able to take. The dizziness slowly disappeared and instead made room for his eyes to adjust. It was mostly dark in the infirmary, save for a dull light in the corner where the desk sat. Ryujin was quietly snoring with her head resting on top of the desk’s surface; it was night.  
«By all means of Ranera, you’re awake!«, a sudden voice cut off any of Minho’s thoughts. He jumped slightly and turned his head to see Seokjin. The Commandment’s face looked tired and worn-out, there were some bloody spots on his otherwise white attire. Definitely not a sight Minho was used to from the usually clean Wizard of Healing. Minho glanced down on himself and noticed that he was wearing some of his clothes. He needed a few seconds to formulate his sentence, head pounding and somehow lost within the darkness of the unknown as he asked, «What…happened?«

Jin hesitated and slowly examined some wounds and Minho’s vitals while he answered, «I’m not sure…you were out for maybe twelve hours. Namjoon told me that apparently, you managed to defeat Veteus or at least, chase him away. He stayed back with Chanyeol to help organize everything and tell the people what had happened in Atror – that’s the last thing I heard from him. The others are all quite…spent. You were attacked, Jisung found you-…«  
«Where is he?«, Minho asked, the restraints around his heart uncomfortably pulling and making him hiss sharply. But at the moment, he didn’t really care, even less so when he noticed Jin’s sudden discomfort. His face immediately changed from professional to worried. Before Minho could even say anything, Seokjin sighed and pointed towards a second bed, not too far away from where Minho himself was lying on.  
He frowned deeply, «I’m not sure if he was just exhausted or stressed or worried…maybe a little bit of everything. But he passed out. I don’t know the details but Yeji told me that Jisung was shaking really badly and had trouble breathing. Eventually, he passed out. I guess it was a panic attack. He woke up a few times due to nightmares as I suppose but he wasn’t really conscious. Overall, even though your injuries were much worse, you’re doing better at the moment.«

Minho wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement. He barely remembered getting attacked, his mind trying to summon the exact memory of what it was that attacked him. Though, at least right now, he had too much of a headache to think about it. And just by the way Jin was trying to avoid looking at him, he knew that there were more bad news.  
«Spit it out Seokjin«, he said and watched the Commandment flinch slightly. He glanced towards Jisung and then leaned forward, quietly whispering into Minho’s ear; «Seungmin…is gone.«  
He needed a few seconds to process those words before hissing back, «What do you mean _he’s_ _gone_?!«

Seokjin shrugged furiously, «I don’t know! Jeongin said that after Seungmin managed to heal Jaebeom and Bambam from the Chaos, he just started glowing and pulsating and he got hot all over, and he was passed out! And then, shit went down; everything turned dark, the ground was shaking, and a massive power made everyone pass out for a few seconds. Jeongin said that Veteus and Seungmin were both gone when everything went back to normal.«

A sigh left Minho’s lips as he tried getting up but failed miserably, his head slumping back down on the pillow and his eyes focusing on sleeping Jisung. The boy was shaking, Minho could see it from where he was positioned. There was sweat forming on his forehead and as it seemed, he was mumbling things in his dreams – definitely another nightmare. He pressed his fingers into his closed eyes and mumbled a string of curse words, already regretting the following decision and apologizing to his future self who would have to deal with Hyunjin’s nagging.  
«Seokjin, could you…please carry Jisung into my bed?«, he asked and watched the Wizard raise an eyebrow.  
He stopped scribbling down notes – probably things about Minho’s condition and vitals – and frowned sceptically, «And why would I do that when we both know that I shouldn’t?«  
«Jin, stop being a smartass for once and do it, he’s shaking and scared and I’m feeling his anxiety all over my skin like a blanket of needles. I’m too tired to discuss this so just shut the hell up and do it.«

With a very pointed glare – which Minho purposefully ignored – Jin eventually complied and carefully carried Jisung over to where the Warlock was currently lying in, tugging his skinny body under the blanket. Minho didn’t know if it was because of…well, reasons or because Jisung unconsciously knew, but as soon as their bodies touched, the potion expert visibly relaxed.  
Minho closed his eyes and cursed some more, softly started playing with Jisung’s hair though.

Jin continued scribbling things down in the notes, breaking the following silence with a barely audibly whispered, «It’s wrong and you know it but…_you’re whipped_.«  
The Warlock decided to dismiss him with a very aggressive-aggressive, but half-assed, _«Shut the fuck up.«_

He closed his eyes and allowed his sleepy mind to rest, wrapping his arms around Jisung’s body and lulled into sleep by Jin’s occasional writing-noise.  
Veteus was gone but the question was;

if Namjoon, Taehyung and Mina didn’t get rid of him, **what was it?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now now now....that was a long ass ride.
> 
> I felt like, after keeping you on the line for that long, I had to at least gift you with some spicy information. Minho had a dream and I'm certain you guys figured out that it wasn't just a dream - it was a memory. The memory of the day no one knows about; the day Minho got arrested and sentenced to death. You more or less know why and you saw the divination - I'm curious about your theories.
> 
> Now, onto Veteus; I know that the fight with him was rather short and disappointing considering the amount of time and chapters I put into preparing the defeat of him LMAO but it's supposed to be like that. I'm gonna be nice and tell you some hints; something divine defeated Veteus before Namjoon, Taehyung and Mina could act on it. He's gone - but I'm curious about who do you think it was :) you can't possibly know yet since that someone never appeared yet but I swear that someone is really freaking cool uwu
> 
> Also, Veteus isn't really an important character; he was mainly...a side-character I needed for those few things to happen so other things can happen. I know it's complicated but you'll get it, I promise fnwifbwbfwonwfb
> 
> You may have also noticed that Jisung's and Minho's...connection (?) - if you wanna call it that - gets stronger and stronger. I'll give you another hint and tell you that the Bastrath being there was not a coincidence; keep in mind what he is after :)  
I'll also grant you some sort of...spoiler (?) since Jisung's behaviour before passing out must've been confusing to you; Jisung doesn't really know why it's 'his fault'. But his subconsciousness does.  
Does that make any sense for you? XDD
> 
> And what about Seungmin...? Our poor boy disappeared again (he has to suffer so much in my story wtf I'm so sorry-). Well no, who said he's suffering though-... :DD  
Seungmin is safe and he'll be back soon, I can tell you that much :3
> 
> Anyways.  
Again, I'm terribly sorry for taking so long T^T but even more so, I'm happy that so many of you still commented and some were even worried I'm just soft for y'all-
> 
> Thank you so much for your support and for reading, I really appreciate it <33
> 
> Stay healthy!


	24. tonic of time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gooodd
> 
> okay. so I had the worst writing block i had ever had in my entire life so far and I am so terribly sorry that this took so long again oof
> 
> I have some more things to say at the end of the chapter but overall, I think most of you will first love me, then love me more, then ultimately love me and in the end...strangle me for this chapter LMAOOO just - it's really important and there are many things going on. I dropped like what felt like 400 hints and I'm almost certain most of you will start to understand a lot of things at the end of this chapter...
> 
> Anyways, enjoy it!

**Tonic of Time;  
well, there isn’t exactly much to say about this potion since it doesn’t really work. A few hundred years ago, some potion expert thought that if there is a time spell, there also had to be a time potion. Though, as you may or may not have noticed by now, potions can’t really affect the higher powers like, for example, space, life, death and; time. So, the Tonic of Time isn’t really anything else but a very mysterious question mark. Depending on how you mix it and which recipe you’re using, it’s effects are…different. There is no actually true recipe for it since nothing ever worked out and to be quite honest, no one really knows what that potion expert back then was trying to accomplish with a time potion; though, rumour has it that if you mix it correctly, you are gifted with the ability to travel through time. But most of the time, people just have to deal with the after-effects of an unfinished potion.  
Really, you might as well mix a lemonade, tastes better anyways and it has the same effect; absolutely nothing.**

There had been quite enough reasons for Jisung to stay away from Minho as good as possible. Of course there were, Minho sometimes even wished that Jisung would stay away without anyone telling him. To be quite honest, a lot of what is currently going on, including what happened to Minho during their fight in Atror, could’ve been prevented if the two of them would’ve stayed away from each other as good as possible. Though, Minho knew for a fact that it was too late for this. And that their connection had grown stronger than ever.

Usually, when something traumatic or shamefully weird happened between the two of them, either Minho or the potion expert started distancing himself from the other.

It had been two days since the fight, still no sight of Seungmin, but most of them were feeling significantly better with the days of proper rest. Minho’s wounds healed appropriately with Seokjin’s excellent healing. The only person who did not act like himself…was Jisung.  
Instead of just staying away from Minho because he was afraid or because he felt guilty for what happened to him, the potion expert completely locked himself up in his room. He was constantly blocking out the other’s attempts to talk and no one had seen him ever since the squirrel-looking man woke up in Minho’s arms.

Which had also been quite a weird experience. Minho felt content with Jisung sleeping soundly in his arms, Seokjin snoring and dozing off on some empty bed in the infirmary. But when Jisung woke up, the latter was anything but calm or content. Instead, he had a whirlwind of emotions rushing through his eyes and face, body visibly shuddering. He had mumbled weird words – somehow even apologies, Minho had no idea for what exactly – before hastily storming off towards his bedroom on really shaky legs.

Even weirder was the fact that he bumped straight into a worried sick Felix but completely ignored the other’s conscious and healthy being.

By the way, another good thing that happened within the last two days; Felix and the mysterious wolf woke up, healthy and strong as ever.  
They had decided not to talk about what exactly happened in the dessert and Felix allowed the wolf to stay in his room for the time being, for he had to recover some more and seemed to be nervous around so many unknown people. They were both mostly fine though, which significantly made Hyunjin feel a little bit better about himself.

Only a little bit though.

Seungmin was still gone without any traces left and Hyunjin – for some reason – was really freaking angry over that. Minho had seen the boy grow up in his most important teenage years and therefore knew exactly how to read through the Warlock’s mask of anger and aggression. Even more so since he wasn’t exactly angry at the people around him; Hyunjin was mad at himself.

The Warlock probably didn’t fully notice yet, but Minho had eyes and he knew for a fact that…there was something going on between Seungmin and Hyunjin. They were obviously more than just friends or frenemies, their dynamics, and characters both opposing and benefitting each other. Given how drastically uncontrolled Hyunjin was currently acting, completely losing all control over his emotions and constantly being angry and pissed-off at everyone and everything, it was easy for everyone to read right through him.

Hyunjin’s current mental state in combination with his Sin of Pride and the overall instable emotions every Warlock of Sin has also made it a lot harder for Minho to get answers though. And hell, he needed answers.

Namjoon and Chanyeol both went back to Atror and helped the people adjust again together with Jaebeom. The city was doing better and still, no one really knew how Veteus could escape from his ties in hell; though, Minho did know. He just couldn’t tell anyone that the two most important anchors of Heaven and Hell were currently gone and missing, practically dead. Without Ranera keeping demons away and anchoring vengeful gods and Ednera controlling said demons and keeping the evil magic in the Abyss of Hell, it was no wonder that gods suddenly attacked cities, demons could escape hell and hellhounds were able to hunt through Ifith like in the old days.  
Still all of this knowledge Minho had and couldn’t share didn’t explain what happened to Seungmin and who the hell saved them in Atror.

According to Taehyung, Mina and Namjoon, none of them had performed any magic to seal Veteus away when it happened. Minho considered different things that could’ve been able to defeat the God of Chaos but none of them really made any sense.  
Even weirder was the sound that he had heard right before Minho himself had passed out because of the Bastrath’s attack. Chanyeol, Chan and Jeongin all said that they had heard it as well; before Veteus disappeared, they had heard a loud noise, something so ultimately familiar and yet, none of them had any idea what it could’ve possibly been.

The Bastrath, by the way, totally disappeared again, nowhere to be found and gone from everyone’s eyes. Jaebeom told Namjoon that he had tried to find the thing, couldn’t trace it though. Minho was annoyed and even more so, freaking angry.  
He knew for a fact why that thing had been there, of course he did; the Bastrath didn’t try to keep it a secret, flaunting about how mighty his _‘Master’_ was – whoever that was supposed to be – and how he’d finally be the one to steal the light for said Master. The Light obviously being Jisung; or whatever it was the Bastrath and that mysterious Master of his wanted. Minho had been nothing but a message, a useless toy to tell Jisung and Minho something very clearly; the Bastrath and probably also his Master knew about their connection. And they would not hesitate to get rid of Minho if that meant finally getting Jisung. Or the light. Or whatever it was they were after.

Which annoyed Minho even more; he didn’t know. He had no freaking idea what was going on, no plan whatsoever what the Bastrath was sent for, why exactly it was after Jisung. And for all he knew, Jisung didn’t really know either.  
The only thing Minho was certain of was, that Jisung still blamed himself. He knew that the Bastrath was after him, he probably figured as much after remembering that same Bastrath from his childhood. No matter what Jisung knew or didn’t know, Minho knew for a fact that he’d have to find out more about that exact Bastrath and its connection to the potion expert.

For now though, he was busy drinking tea and staring at the flames in the chimney. He’d sent Jeongin to try and talk to Jisung, but the fox had teleported himself back into Minho’s lap with a sulky look on his animal face, his voice echoing in Minho’s head as a disappointed, _«He still won’t even answer«_.

Now, he was waiting for Namjoon and the ByeongChan-couple to arrive. Minho needed to share his twisted thoughts and worries and since Hyunjin was nowhere near mentally stable enough for that, he decided to talk about it with the three people he deemed trustworthy enough. Not like he didn’t trust Taehyung or Felix or anyone else who was currently somehow staying over in the Hwang Mansion. But Minho had already talked about a lot of things with Namjoon and Byeonghee and Chan…well, Chan just tagged along because, apparently, he was bored. Minho knew for a fact that this was a blunt lie, but he wouldn’t deny the presence of the only person who could actually know what’s going on.

Minho didn’t have to wait long for the others to arrive in the salon. Namjoon, as almost always, had some book in his hands, closing it gently upon sitting down on an armchair right next to Minho. Byeonghee was fondly smiling over Chan’s obvious fascination towards some really weird looking flower which he, apparently, got from Mina. It was green, which was weird on its own, but it also gave off a really weird smell – nothing Minho was particularly fond of and if he would’ve been able to he would’ve gotten himself a nice bundle of Patchouli.  
Jisung smelled like Patchouli.  
He shook his head and forced his thoughts to stop spacing out.

Chan eventually sat down in front of the seat Minho was seated on, Byeonghee placing himself between his boyfriend (?) and Namjoon.  
«I got a fire message from Jaebeom. He said that Atror is doing fine and asked to visit the mansion because his friend is here – Jinyoung, I guess?«, Namjoon interrupted the weird silence in the salon, interrupting Minho’s staring contest with the chimney.   
He nodded absentmindedly, not really caring that much about Jaebeom – within the last couple of months, there were probably more people walking in and out of the Hwang Mansion than ever before. Besides, he didn’t exactly think Hyunjin even cared anymore at this point. Not right now anyways.  
Jeongin sat up on Minho’s lap, stretching his small fox body and jumping onto the floor, a sudden puff echoing through the room and instead of an animal, there was a smiling Yang Jeongin in front of them. He remained seated on the floor, legs crossed and a somehow weirdly fond and concentrated expression on his face even though he was still smiling. Sometimes, the boy seriously confused Minho. «I tried finding traces of Seungmin in Atror yesterday night, Bambam helped me. But unfortunately, we couldn’t find anything – there was just a really concentrated amount of magic left, nothing I was able to track down though. It was…not natural, nor unnatural magic.«

A sigh left Byeonghee’s lips, «Me and Chan tried talking to Jisung, but he remained silent and in his room. Sorry, Minho«  
For some reason, it felt like the others were reporting to him. Which they, by the way, did not. Minho had no idea that they had been doing things to gather information or take a step forward in their bundle of mysteries. He also didn’t really know how to react since, frankly, Minho had been in bed for almost two days because Namjoon’s (ex-)fiancée forced him to rest properly.  
And a serious Kim Seokjin was scary as hell.  
Minho loved the risk, but he wasn’t keen on dying anytime soon.

Pushing the memories of furious Seokjin out of his mind, he forced himself to concentrate on the most important thing for now; finding Seungmin.

He allowed himself to think about what the others just told him.

Jeongin said they found traces of magic, but it wasn’t natural or unnatural, which is why he couldn’t track it down or trace the power. There was only one kind of magic that could be as powerful as that; divine magic.  
Now, here’s the problem; what kind of being would be able to perform pure, divine magic? Minho seriously doubted that Veteus somehow got Seungmin since his magic was from hell and not fully developed. If he would’ve been able to magically get rid of a fully awake, somehow human but not human (?) person, he also would’ve been able to destroy them all within an instant. Also, what use would he have of Seungmin? As far as they all knew, the young priest was nothing but a normal human with some question marks surrounding his head.

For some reason, his thoughts went back to the moment before Veteus disappeared; the moment everything turned dark and the moment Veteus was gone afterwards.  
Minho frowned, «That sound…«  
«Are you still thinking about that?«, Namjoon asked with no judgement visible in his face. He was also thinking. They were all missing something. Something important.  
«I just…«, Minho started and resumed his staring at the flames in the chimney, «…this sound was so loud, it literally echoed through my whole skull and body even though I was almost out at that time. I clearly heard it and I just can’t put my finger on where I’ve heard it already…«

It was silent for a few seconds, until they all got startled by the grandfather clock in the salon, loudly reminding them that it was seven in the evening.  
Minho watched Jeongin’s face morph into one of even deeper concentration, a sudden feeling of Dejavu washing over him. His whole body shivered and all of a sudden, it clicked in his head. He raised his head and stared at the grandfather clock, which just gave off the last sound of the seventh hour.  
«A clock. It sounded like a really loud tic-tac. As if someone would ring the bells of a temple but only once«, he said and watched the other’s freeze upon realizing that he was right.

Namjoon suddenly groaned, gaining everyone’s attention, «Oh no. Jeongin, you said it wasn’t natural or unnatural magic? So I guess it was divine. If what we heard really was a loud clock sound, that can only mean one thing…«

And again, a light went on in Minho’s head and he released a groan himself, standing up with little motivation, «The God of Time, Odius…«

\-----

For some reason – a reason Namjoon explained, Minho didn’t listen to though – Seokjin seemed to have…connections with the God of Time.  
There were only few things Minho knew about the God. He was one of the few remaining gods after the Great War between Heaven and Hell, therefore kind of bitterly living his life. He was ruling over Ospal as the Landlord and – according to Ednera – sent her some letters from time to time. Which he technically wasn’t allowed to do but as it seemed, Ranera couldn’t get rid of him like she got rid of Ednera all those years ago. She needed him after all. Unlike the people of Ospal – who were mostly friendly and open – Odius himself was rather cold and hard to approach. Or at least, that’s what people say about him. Minho obviously never met him.

The only godly interactions Minho had were Ednera and Ranera. Though, he spoke to Ednera more like she were his mother and Ranera sometimes had that wise grandmother touch (no offence, her Majesty wasn’t anywhere near being a grandmother even though she was probably five times as old as most grandmothers), Minho couldn’t imagine how the God of Time was. Rumours were rumours for a reason after all and maybe Odius was far from being a cold-hearted, unsocial God.

Then again, thinking about some of Ednera’s weird characteristics, gods seemed to have just as many human features as inhuman features.  
Minho grimaced at the thought of Ednera’s addiction to sweets, almost feeling sick thinking about how many chocolate cakes she ate that one time Minho was trying to escape both, his worried mother and nagging Hyunjin for a few days some years ago. Needless to say, Minho couldn’t look at any sort of cake for a few months after that.

Seokjin – with a really self-satisfied grin, he may add – had contacted the God of Time, telling him that they asked for his audience to which the God had responded to the fire message with a simple and short _‘Took you long enough’_. Which already made Minho pissed-off because; that asshole knew they were confused and still didn’t think of showing up.

Excuse his thoughts, this doesn’t count as blasphemy…right?

Anyways, after getting that message, another fire message flew towards Jin, making Chan’s hair catch fire which almost immediately was extinguished by his natural water magic. Jin had read out loud, _‘I’ll be there’_. Which was why they were currently all standing in Hyunjin’s ball room – yes, the Hwang Mansion actually had a ball room (to everyone’s mystery, it wasn’t like the Hwangs were known for being open over the centuries). Hyunjin was still fairly annoyed and angry at literally everyone and the only person who still hadn’t left his room was Jisung. Which, on the contrary, made Minho mad and annoyed. But he forced himself to swallow the uncontrolled feelings, if only because of the restriction around his heart that started hurting in his breast, reminding him to _‘behave himself’_.

He wasn’t so sure what to think though when his ears almost exploded upon hearing another loud sound – this time, they all recognized it as the ringing of a clock bell – his ears clearly almost going deaf. It turned dark for a few seconds again and when they all managed to blink away the dizziness, a person suddenly stood in front of them. He was about the same height as Minho, had pale, almost too white skin, his black hair was parted in the middle and covered both his eyes to the point Minho wondered if that guy could even see something. The lean body was covered in beige clothes, which made him look fairly normal; honestly, if Minho wouldn’t sense his magical power, he would’ve tagged this man as a normal farmer. Just from the looks of course – everything about him seemed so down-to-earth that it was hard for Minho to believe that this guy was described as scary and cold-hearted.

Even less so when Seokjin – with his tall height and the broad shoulders – walked over to the God and patted him on the head as if he were his cherished little brother. As if that man wasn’t decades over decades older than all of them combined. Jin smiled so brightly and innocent, that even Namjoon seemed startled for a few seconds. «Yoongles! I’ve missed your grumpy face! Stop glaring at me like that, you owe me big time since you randomly kidnapped our young priest, who allowed you to do that, huh? How’s your hot decade affair? What was his name…Jumin? Jungmin?«  
Chanyeol stepped forward and interrupted the conversation with his own opinion on that matter, which made Minho remember that the two of them were childhood friends and the Commandment of Truth therefore probably also knew the God of Time. «I thought his name was Hamin…?«

_Yoongles_ – as they had called him – seemed to have enough of that and sassily slapped Jin’s hand away from his now dishevelled hair, glaring daggers at Seokjin and then at Chanyeol. His eyes sparkled in a weird mixture of gold and light-blue as he finally raised his voice, «Jimin! His name is Jimin and I’m really mad at him so shut up!«  
«You? Mad at your lover boy?«, Jin asked sceptically, yes, almost tauntingly amused, «No way, he’s a saint. You could never.«

Another glare and this time, Jin shut up – or so it seemed; Minho needed a few seconds to realize that he didn’t shut up because he was scared or finally got the hint, but because Odius stopped his time. He turned around to all of them (not without sending a lingering glare towards Chanyeol though) and finally tilted his head to the side a little bit, slim, cat-like eyes staring back at all of them equally as powerful as he said, «I’m Odius, God of Time. You can call me Yoongi though, I don’t like the name Heaven gave me when I turned into a God. Now, you wanted something from me, right?«

He snapped his fingers and before any of them could say anything else, a golden light blinded them all, dimming down slowly and revealing a floating body; Seungmin, as they recognized some seconds later.  
Chanyeol carefully put his arms under the unconscious boy and as if the golden light knew that someone was holding him securely, it disappeared, Seungmin softly falling into the Commandment’s arms with a quiet thud. Apart from being unconscious, the young priest seemed healthy though.  
«Mind telling us why you randomly got rid of Veteus after we all already risked our lives to get rid of him and then taking this innocent boy with you?«, Chanyeol asked straightforward as always, watching Yoongi’s face morph from disinterest to a scowl.

He huffed, seemingly annoyed, «Do you have any idea what kind of heavenly risk you put us all through by taking that young priest with you?«

Minho mimicked the frown everyone had on their face. Weren’t they all at risk?  
The god scowled in disbelieve, «You want to tell me that you watched this boy being neither dead nor alive, waking up from a coma and suddenly being able to use divine magic even though he never once even thought of magic before all of this without freaking knowing why?«

A sudden spark of concentrated magic went right through Minho, him, Taehyung and Byeonghee flinching upon feeling it; Hyunjin’s magic suddenly slipping.  
Before any of the three of them could stop him, Hyunjin stepped forward with a dangerously vibrating aura, his magical power uncontrollably making plants rise and grow around the house with a deep roar, the whole mansion shaking due to it. He was glaring dangerous daggers at Yoongi, provoking all of the God’s nerves to snap at him with just the way all of his emotions were twirling around like colours. «How dare you. I didn’t ask, nor did I allow you to take him away from me like this. He was fine and I don’t understand why you had to take him with you.«

Yoongi – even though Hyunjin was currently close to snapping – remained perfectly calm, not letting any of Hyunjin’s out of control emotions provoke him. Minho sensed that Taehyung had a hard time resisting the pull of Pride. The God of Time stared at Hyunjin with intensely glowing eyes as he calmly as ever answered, «When he brought back those two guards, the divine power within him was about to take him over. Which was why he started shaking and glowing. He would’ve died. And I wasn’t the one who took him, for your information.«  
He stepped forward, only bare centimetres keeping him and the Sin of Pride apart. Yoongi was shorter than Hyunjin in height, but the way the Warlock slowly started backing off made clear that Yoongi wasn’t below him in any way. His eyes remained calm and yet held some sort of fiercely power in them, that even Minho himself felt uncomfortable. «Now calm down or I will personally send you back to your worst memories.«

Minho, upon sensing that Hyunjin actually felt intimidated, grabbed his best friend by the wrist and pulled Hyunjin into a tight hug, using all of his calm emotions to ground the other. The Sin of Pride blinked a few times, some emotions running through him as he started crying, then lightly trying to push Minho away. But ultimately, he calmed down and eventually, his body slumped together in exhaustion.

Careful, as to not hurt Hyunjin, Minho sat down on the floor and bedded the Warlock’s head in his lap, softly brushing away some of his lost strands. «You’re fine. You’re fine, Jin-ie.«

While Yoongi released a tired sigh, Minho looked up to him and asked, «If you weren’t the one who got Seungmin, why did you have him then?«  
The God stared at him through emotionless eyes for a few seconds, before biting the inside of his cheeks – he seemed to consider whether or not he should tell them. Eventually, he sighed again and answered, «…Jimin did. He felt that something was off with your friend and went to get him, which was why I forced Veteus back to hell even though I wasn’t allowed to do so. I couldn’t risk Veteus getting him. So I interfered.«

Now, Minho was just deadass confused. That Jimin-guy _felt_ that something was off? He got why Yoongi technically wasn’t allowed to interfere; Gods were supposed to lead the humans, not interfere with their problems. Only Ranera was really allowed to step in if the situation got too drastic. But even her Majesty herself had to be careful about that. Yoongi could’ve seriously gotten punished for interfering and forcefully banning a God of Hell like that and yet, for that unknown Jimin, he did it?  
«What is he to you?«, Minho asked and narrowed his eyes at the God, adding a quick, «Apart from your obvious love-interest. Why did you risk this all to keep Veteus from getting him? Why would the God of Chaos care about your Jimin anyways?«

Yoongi’s face – for the first time since he stepped foot inside the mansion – actually showed what he was thinking; he seemed startled. Startled, dumbfounded and absolutely unsure.  
Another few minutes passed in which the God of Time just stared at Minho with such an intense uncertainty, that Minho almost thought he’d never stop.

He breathed through his nose deeply, closing his eyes and biting his lip before finally answering, «You…will have to see Jimin yourself to…understand. You will understand everything once you’ve seen him. But I am not allowed to tell you. Please understand.«  
A glint went through Yoongi’s eyes and for a few seconds, Minho felt a throbbing in his head, the God’s voice echoing through his thoughts as he said, _«**You**, out of all the people in here, should understand this the most…right?«_

Minho didn’t answer.

\-----

Hyunjin’s mansion was as full as it never had been. For the time being, Yoongi had decided to fall asleep on one of the beds in the infirmary, claiming that he was too tired to go home now. Though, Minho had a distinct feeling that the God was slightly worried about Hyunjin and Seungmin and stayed back to supervise their magic and health.

He had reluctantly set Jin free and resumed the Commandment’s time, which triggered a really long and offended speech from the Healer.  
Which they had all ignored, quite honestly.

Minho was currently sitting next to Hyunjin’s bed, biting on his bottom lip, and nervously staring at nothing in particular, thoughts running through his head in full-speed.

«Could you please stop that?«, Yoongi eventually said with his deep, halfway asleep voice, referring to Minho’s right leg, which was constantly teetering up and down. Almost immediately, his right leg stopped, and the Warlock shot a glare towards the God, «Yah! Free my leg, I’ll stop!«  
Yoongi set the time of his leg off again, but this time complained, «And don’t be so loud. People try to sleep here.«  
Minho decided to grumble an incoherent answer but remained fairly silent after that.

It remained silent, save for Hyunjin’s soft breathing and Ryujin scribbling down notes on the table a few metres away from them, until Yoongi suddenly said, «Sometimes, we need to break walls to get through, you know.«  
The Warlock looked up and stared over at the God, frowning, «What?«  
Said God turned in the bed, facing Minho now and opening his eyes slowly, the soft goldish-blue colour returning to them as he answered, «I’m trying to say that some people need space and some people need a bomb that destroys their walls. Ranera told you to wake up for a reason, didn’t she? He needs you. Stop thinking so much, it’s not like the restriction around your heart or that closed door up for that matter can stop this anymore, right? You _know_ that. You just need a push.«

While Minho stared, slowly understanding what the God was talking about, Yoongi sighed and fully turned in the bed again, his back now facing the Warlock as he said with a drowsy, sleepy voice: «If he won’t let you in, you need to break through. Because he needs you.«

Which was how Minho ended up in front of Jisung’s bedroom, contemplating Yoongi’s words and how to interpret them. Should he…literally break the walls? No, that was almost impossible because of the spell Jeongin held on the mansion. And Minho was almost certain (really, 98 percent even), that Yoongi did not mean that literally.  
It wasn’t that hard…was it?  
A groan left his lips, fingers tangling themselves in his black hair in frustration; why was this so fucking hard?! This was Jisung they’re talking about – energetic, somehow PTSD-suffering, sweet and friendly Han Jisung, ex-owner of one of the best pubs in Enos and gifted magic potion expert. There was absolutely no reason for Minho to hesitate as much as he did. And yet, raising his fist and knocking on the boy’s door seemed to be harder than anything he’d ever had to do in his entire life so far.

Minho bit his lip and groaned again, raising his fist with the probably most troubled expression one could have as he told himself through gritted teeth, «Do it you coward, he won’t bite you…! Worst he could do is blocking you out…«  
And so, with all the leftover control he had, Minho forced himself to finally knock on the door, the echoes of it seemingly lingering as a dull sound through the whole hallway. He swallowed the lump in his throat, prepared for a passive-aggressive _‘leave me alone’_. But, just like Byeonghee, Chan and Jeongin had told him, it remained silent behind the door. There was nothing that even indicated Jisung was awake, which finally pulled the last string on Minho – for all they knew, the potion expert hadn’t left his room for days and Minho started having worst-case scenarios about what could’ve probably happened to him.

And so, emotional and stressed as the Warlock was, he finally snapped, crossed his arms in front of his chest and sternly said, «Han Jisung, if you don’t open this door within the next sixty seconds, I will assume you starved to death or did something to yourself and I will not hesitate to break this door into shreds of nothingness. I suggest you listen or else I’ll-…«  
A thumb.  
Minho stopped talking and waited. Another thumb, steps. A key being twisted in the lock, the handle of the door slowly pushing down, a tiny fissure building.  
He was rendered speechless, words dying in his throat when Jisung grabbed Minho’s wrist, pulled him inside the dark room ad promptly closed the door again. It was hard for the Warlock to recognize something – Jisung seemed to have closed all the curtains in his room.  
Even before he could open his mouth, the potion expert retreated and walked backwords, a rueful expression visible through the darkness as Minho’s eyes got used to the minimum of light in here. He was shaking and Minho wasn’t sure if it was because of the obvious coldness in here or because of something else.  
«Jisung-…«, once again, Minho was cut off by the young sorcerer, who immediately stepped back a little more, eyes avoiding the Warlock. His voice was quiet, almost a whimper, barely there. But Minho had heard him, «I’m sorry. Please forgive me I…I shouldn’t have dragged you inside, and I…I’m sorry.«

Minho was no psychologist, but he knew for a fact that Jisung didn’t apologize because he dragged the Warlock inside like this. He remembered what Seokjin had told him when he woke up in the infirmary; that, apparently, Jisung had mumbled apologies over and over before passing out. Chanyeol and Yeji had had no idea what he was apologizing for.   
Somehow, Minho had a hunch though.

Now, even without studying the human’s brain, Minho knew what a panicking and vulnerable person looked like. Years of living with Hyunjin and watching him struggling with the overbearing sensitivity of a Sin’s emotions taught Minho enough to know how to act in such situations.  
Carefully, Minho stepped forward in an attempt to sooth Jisung’s obviously slowly spiking anxiety, though, the potion expert immediately flinched and took another step back, «N-No! Stay away from me. Please, I’m just…I’m hurting you.«

The Warlock stopped in his movement and took a deep breath – his hunch was correct. There were a couple of reasons for Minho to simply agree and honestly, he should do so. Ednera would‘ve told him to accept it, see this as his one and only chance to break free, to distance himself, to save not only his own, but also and most importantly; Jisung‘s life. Every logically thinking braincell of his was screaming at him to nod and walk away because; this was what he should’ve done from the beginning on. If he would’ve done so back in Orlon, all of this probably wouldn’t have happened to the young host.

But at the same time, something inside of him just forced him to stay put. Something inside of him told him that he had to stay, had to be there for him. Minho felt it; the strong pull towards Jisung, the need to comfort him, to keep him save from everything that could possibly hurt him in any way. Technically, Minho should keep him from himself in that case.

But here’s the thing; he just couldn’t. Jisung needed him. And hell, nothing could stop him from being there for Jisung if he needs him – not even his own, screaming brain.  
Minho swallowed the lump in his throat and stayed where he was, trying to calm Jisung down by somehow listening to the other’s plead. «Jisung…the Bastrath that attacked me. That wasn’t your fault. I should’ve known that it’s a trap. I should’ve known he was going to lure me into some sort of trap. He knew that I’d follow him…that wasn’t your fault.«

The potion expert visibly flinched at the mention of that evil demon, slowly backing off more until his back hit the wall opposite of the door. He shook his head, «N-No. It’s not only that you…you always do this. You always get yourself into dangerous situations to protect me y-you…why? Why are you doing this? I shouldn’t be here, Minho. I should’ve been dead long ago, I probably should’ve died back in Orlon, hell – I probably should’ve died when I was a kid! So w-why…? Why am I here? Why are you so persistent in trying to protect me, in trying to keep me alive when there are obviously signs that I should die?«

Minho pressed his lips into a thin line. The potion expert was right; why? Why did Ranera do this to him back then? Why is his life connected to this boy? Why did he go back instead of saving himself and Jeongin back then? Why is it that he can’t bear losing him when they were practically strangers?  
Nothing connected them. They didn’t know each other, had nothing to do with each other, weren’t even from the same magical source. So why is it so important to Minho? Why can’t he just…leave?

Frustration let his emotions run wild, the confusion, the stress, the guilt, the hate – hate towards Ranera for giving him this divination, hate towards Ednera for disappearing like this, hate towards the gods for making him the person he is, hate towards himself for being the reason Jisung was suffering.  
It didn’t happen often, to be honest. Minho was good at keeping his emotions under control, good at just taking a deep breath and collecting himself.

Maybe it was his tiredness, maybe it was that weird connection he had with Jisung that made it escalate; he didn’t know. But all of a sudden, he just snapped.  
«I don’t know! Okay, Jisung, I don’t know! I don’t know why this happens, I don’t know why you’re the only fucking thing I can think about whenever you’re not with me! I don’t know why I need you to be save at all times, why I need you to be at ease and happy! I don’t know why I returned back then! I just don’t know!«

Jisung, obviously rendered speechless, stared at Minho when he stepped forward until he was only mere centimetres away from the other. The Warlock knew for a fact that his eyes were glowing, if only because he felt the heat, because he felt the pulsating sensation in his head or because they were shining so brightly that he could see the bright magenta reflecting on Jisung’s pale skin, in his round, brown eyes.  
«I don’t know, Jisung…I just don’t…«, sometime during those words, Minho must’ve inched closer. He didn’t remember when, didn’t recall putting his hands next to the potion expert’s head or when exactly their breath started mingling together, noses touching, bodies so close that a paper could barely fit in between. Everything about Jisung was luring, tempting. His soft skin, the blonde hair, the round eyes, his sweet patchouli scent, his slightly rosy cheeks.

He heard it again. In his head, Minho heard it, almost like someone was humming the melody next to his ear – the song, that lullaby Jisung had softly hummed back when he treated Minho’s wounds. Slowly, every bit of reality and rational thoughts seemed to slip away from him, as if someone were luring him into a deep slumber without him even being asleep.  
Everything inside of him screamed at Minho to stop, to back off and step away. Yet, the only thing he could do was clenching his fists next to Jisung’s head and press out a forced, «Stop me. Tell me to stop, Jisung.«

Minho knew he would stop if asked to. He didn’t know why but he knew for a fact that he couldn’t stop himself at this point. Jisung was too near, too vulnerable, too innocent. All he needed to hear was a _Stop_. That’s all.

And yet, Jisung didn’t say _stop_.

Instead, Minho felt hands on his cheeks, softly drawing circles into the pale skin as the potion expert looked up at him with those big eyes, «What are we…Minho? What is _this_?«  
A brush of lips, electrifying shocks going through his whole body, warmth emitting from the potion expert’s body, transferring itself to the Warlock. It was hot and cold, and Minho knew he should stop but he just _couldn’t_.  
The brush of lips slowly transformed into Minho mumbling desperate _Stops_ against Jisung’s lips and yet, he didn’t pull away. Jisung’s hands travelled back towards Minho’s neck, softly playing with his hair, breath directly fanning against each other’s lips.  
_Please stop. Please stop, you know you can’t do this, you have to stop_, the words went on in Minho’s head, almost like a mantra, _please, please, please…_

«Please…«, Jisung mumbled, voice airy, almost a whisper, a whimper, quiet and yet so powerful, whiny almost – _desperate _even.  
For a split second, Minho wondered how they ended up in this position; from Jisung being too afraid of hurting Minho and staying away from him, to the both of their bodies pressed together and lips barely distanced from each other.

The thought slowly disappeared into thin air though when Minho’s eyes locked with the potion expert’s and he didn’t see anything like repulsion, fear, or disgust.  
It was enough for Minho to snap and finally get rid of the small amount of space between them, finally leaning forward and connecting their lips.  
He could feel the shield around his heart tightening, pain running through his whole body and yet, Minho didn’t care. The feeling of kissing Jisung was too good, the feeling of his lips against the potion expert’s. The melody loudly ringing inside his head. It was wrong in every way possible and Minho knew that.

He knew that instead of grabbing Jisung’s thighs and wrapping his legs around his hips, he should pull away. He knew that instead of pressing their bodies closer together, he should put the potion expert down. He knew that instead of diving back in after stopping the kiss for a few seconds to take a breath, he should stop.

Minho didn’t know what pulled him out of his trance in the end. Maybe Jisung’s desperate moan once he started kissing down his neck. Or maybe the pull around his heart that intensified with every shaking whimper Jisung released. Or maybe, in the end the fact that once Minho’s grip on the potion expert’s thighs intensified, Jisung suddenly put his hands on the Warlock’s shoulders and pushed him away.

The melody stopped.

Their eyes met again, and it was like Minho’s senses and all of his control suddenly came flooding back to his consciousness. Suddenly, he was highly aware of their situation, of their position.

Jisung was out of breath when he stuttered, «W-What are we, Minho?«  
And Minho didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know what happened, barely remembered when exactly he lost control. Jisung’s following words were what finally made him get back into reality, «What are _you_…?«

The Warlock immediately snapped out of it and let go of Jisung’s legs. He felt dizzy the very second he took a few steps away from the potion expert, every cell of his body longing for the heat, the closeness. Minho swallowed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  
Jisung sighed and stepped around Minho, opening the door for him, «Leave. _Please_.«

And so, Minho did. He walked past Jisung, in a weird state of numbness. Everything felt numb which was weird in itself because he never felt numb – he usually felt too much of everything, to a point where he couldn’t handle it anymore. He didn’t realize that he was crying until he knocked on Byeonghee’s bedroom door and the latter stared at him in such shock that he must’ve looked like shit.

Minho felt numb.

He did something wrong and he knew that. And now that he was back in his mind, not in some trance of his own powers or his own curses, the realization of what exactly he had done just now downed on him.

Minho fucked up big time and nothing Byeonghee said or tried helped him to get rid of the guilt.  
When the Sin of Wrath asked what happened, the Warlock finally answered, «I lost control, slipped and kissed him.«

Byeonghee shut his mouth almost immediately, couldn’t open it again to start an angry discussion though as Minho interrupted him, «I need to shut down, Byeonghee …«  
The Sin choked on his spit, «What? Are you going insane, you can’t do that! Minho? Hey, Minho!«

Minho swallowed the lump and closed his eyes. Jisung told him to leave and that was the right thing to do. He should leave for good if he was at it. And so, while closing his eyes, Minho forced his emotions to all travel into a box, locked away from any light deep inside of him. Because if it weren’t for his emotions, Minho wouldn’t have done that. He would have never rescued Jisung, he would’ve never slipped and probably would’ve never needed a barrier around his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, the world was dull. Grey. Byeonghee’s desperate attempts to get his attention by slapping his arm didn’t hurt, neither did the Sin’s worried question about his well-being trigger anything inside of him.  
Minho looked up at Byeonghee and blinked, tilting his head to the side, «Of course I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?«

And indeed, he didn’t know why he shouldn’t be. After all, he _couldn’t care anymore_…could he? Not like he remembered what made Byeonghee so worried about him in the first place.

He locked his feelings away and shut himself down.

All to prevent himself from causing more damage…than he already did…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooOoff
> 
> Okay so, I will explain what exactly happened to Minho at the end when the time is ripe but I think most of you more or less understood it already. Just to ease your confusion a little tiny bit; he shut down his emotions. Like, as in; literally, turning them off. As a result, you will understand that Minho's POV will be...off-limits for a few chapters. He is basically...unemotional as for now and therefore can't really have many thoughts or opinions apart from the important things. Also, Jisung's POV is way more interesting now anyways :D
> 
> Yoongi entered our story and I am very very satisfied with it. Also, Jimin will be...important. Especially for you guys to understand a few things.
> 
> I'm almost certain that's not how you guys imagined their first kiss to be and I almost feel sorry LMAO but I had to do this so you may see...what exactly is going on here. I'm curious about what you guys think... :33
> 
> Now, I'm aware that I didn't answer to a lot of comments even though I would've had the time. I needed to sort out some things in my life and like...take care of my social life as well (being a socially active person can be tiring ooFff) and overAll of that; i just allowed myself a social media writing break so I can fully gather energy and motivation again - it do be like this sometimes, even for us writers lol. I hope you're less mad when I tell you I had some fanfiction worthy drunken shenanigans LMAO
> 
> Anyways; I know I already said it like 300 times already but I really really really want you to know how much appreciated you guys are. I had a really rough time with myself and my mental stability. Your lovely comments kind of made it better a little bit. I'm really grateful for your support and understanding and I'm even more happy that so many of you guys are reading this and are curious. I can't really tell you how thankful I am but I guess I can't really say anything else but a big, fat, honest; 
> 
> thank you very, very, very much for reading, supporting, being here, waiting, theorizing and understanding. No one asked you to sympathize with me and my problems or read this story and yet, many of you just do. And I'm really thankful for that.  
So, thank you for being my readers <33
> 
> I really do hope that you, as always, enjoyed this chapter. If you're new here and just hit the last chapter so far; don't worry, I'm trying to keep my rhythm again.  
I had a one week schedule. But because of the heat outside (which honestly makes it so much harder for me to think properly lmao, my bedroom is in our attic you know), and also because I want to have less stress, I will extend my schedule to two - three weeks. So, the next chapter is scheduled for about two and a half weeks.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!  
As always, feel free to comment, ask about things that left you dumbfounded or criticize if you have anything to tell me about. 
> 
> Stay healthy! <33


	25. heavenly ingredients

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back uwu  
my laptop's keyboard is clowning me istg :D  
but it's here and I'm satisfied with the chapter even though I hate it LMAO
> 
> you'll see - for now, enjoy reading :3

**Heavenly ingredients;  
As already mentioned a few times, potions are all inventions of someone. Ancient recipes, written by once powerful potion experts and sorcerers. And very few recipes are invented and written by long lost gods. No one really knows why those holy potions were invented in the first place since you can’t just mix them. Or at least, most of them wouldn’t be of any use without that little something; a heavenly ingredient. They are what makes those rare potions as holy as they are said to be. Usually, those ingredients involve something that only a god, sometimes even a particular god only, can give you. On the contrary, those holy potions can perform divine magic and have special effects.  
Though, nowadays, it’s possible to do some tricks on the potions by – for example – using a Commandment instead…**

When Jisung and Seungmin were kids, they used to have fun playing a game they made up. It didn’t really have a proper name because the two of them could never agree on one thing to save their lives, so they opted to just say _«Let’s play the **‘watch-people-and-analyse-and-judge-their-daily-life’**-game«. _Which was pretty much…exactly what this so-called game was about. Watching people, analysing their behaviour, faking up what they’re saying by watching their moving lips, and laughing at the drama while judging them with no limits. Why? Well, because it was fun. And living in a town like Orlon – as conservative and controlled by the Temple as a town could ever be – just called for drastic ideas. The one thing both boys always deemed weird to watch though were couples.

Which isn’t weird as a kid, of course. When they got older, teenagers, they started…thinking about couples more, watching them. But instead of immediately uttering a faked barfing-sound, they’d both stare for a few seconds before fearing that their behaviour would be considered odd and then acting like it was the most disgusting thing they’ve ever seen; people kissing, being all lovey-dovey with each other and holding hands in public, caressing their loved one’s cheeks as if they’d hold the key to the most gorgeous treasure one has ever seen.

But even with all the disgusted faces and late-timed disapproval, neither Jisung nor Seungmin were able to deny that they secretly both got curious. And as they got older, the curiosity turned into a longing.

Jisung was pretty sure, Seungmin never once in his entire life kissed anyone. Not because the temple didn’t allow priests to be married – the latter’s parents were married and very much in love after all. But because Seungmin sailed towards his own direction, alternatively; he liked boys. And this was…something the boy only reluctantly admitted to himself and even more thoroughly treated like a secret. If he would’ve even stared at a boy in the temple for too long, they probably would’ve noticed right away. And the temple, as you may or may not have noticed by now, does not go lightly on people who dare to disrespect their believes.

Generally, Jisung believed, sexuality was something quite…carelessly viewed in Ifith. At least so far and in most countries, that is. Kingdoms ran by the Temple usually weren’t as open and disinterested in such things, unfortunately. But in most of Ifith’s various countries, sexuality didn’t bother anyone, and no one really questioned it if there were same-sex couples holding hands or kissing openly.

Jisung’s mother always used to tell him that he should love whoever he wanted to love. As a teenager, he had had his fair share of kisses and crushes; Eunha, the girl that had been looking at him with heart-eyes ever since her family moved to Orlon. Karin, the daughter of the town’s healer, also had some sort of thing for him and there were a couple of other examples. Jisung even had a very…secretive (and quite forbidden) make-out session with a boy named Chanwoo once.  
Needless to say, they avoided each other like the plague after that, especially since they had both been quite shocked and confused. Jisung never kissed another boy again after that and as he grew older and became an adult, dating or having feelings completely lost importance in his head because he became busier and busier with life, work and trying to survive the upcoming winter without freezing or starving to death. He had had one or two encounters with beautiful, travelling women who asked to stay the night or get his attention but that never got over the point of making out in the dimly lit corner of his closed pub.  
Jisung knew for a fact that he didn’t necessarily liked kissing girls. He didn’t feel like it was disgusting or like there were no women to which he felt himself attracted to. But over the years and with several occasions of women sitting on his lap or kissing said lips, he often caught himself thinking of Chanwoo; the boy from across the town with whom he never really talked again. But the feeling of kissing a man was different for him and for some reason, Jisung couldn’t help but prefer it a little bit.

You could say, he wasn’t innocent but definitely didn’t have experience either way.

So, it is to absolutely no one’s surprise that Jisung’s cool and calm mask immediately dropped as soon as he shut the door behind a reluctantly exiting Minho. His face turned hot and red within an instant and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to die of embarrassment or just so he could experience this one more time.

The memory haunted him in his sleep, and he couldn’t close his eyes for five minutes without waking up and feeling empty inside. He knew that throwing Minho out had been the right thing to do, he just felt it. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. Or that Jisung didn’t have to force himself not to run after the man and aggressively kiss the living hell out of-…

Off-topic.

He never once experienced a situation in which he wanted something so bad and that something felt so good and so _right_…but at the same time, he knew that he shouldn’t like it and that it shouldn’t feel like this.

Something was seriously off with him, with Minho, with the _‘us’_ that they were. But Jisung just didn’t know _what_. And even worse was that when he woke up the next morning and went downstairs to eat breakfast – halfway scared of how he should act around Minho – the latter was totally ignoring him.

At first, it didn’t bother him because it wasn’t the first time they were weird towards each other or that they distanced themselves. But then, Jisung started feeling like…something was even more off than usual.

That day, Hyunjin and Seungmin both woke up and Yoongi – who Jisung got to meet later – explained what had happened while he himself had been shutting everything and everyone out the day prior.

Another day later – today – they were all seated in Hyunjin’s dining room – once again – and were waiting for Yoongi. The god had told them that he wasn’t allowed to tell them…whatever it was he was keeping from them. Which was why he opted to go pick up his…boyfriend? Husband? Love-affair? Crush? Whatever.

And it was extremely awkward for some reason.

Jisung had noticed a various amount of things ever since he started including himself again and apologizing for shutting everyone out:  
Seokjin and Namjoon were actually talking for some really, really weird reason; Chanyeol and Taehyung got along a little bit too well and somehow did a lot of…dumb things; Mina, the pure soul, had been talking to Chan a lot, which wasn’t that weird since they knew each other, but Byeonghee was awfully attached to Minho; Jeongin sat on Hyunjin’s or Seungmin’s shoulder all the time because apparently – as the fox had told Jisung – his master wanted to ensure Seungmin’s safety at all times; Felix was constantly sticking to the still not back-to-human transformed werewolf, and, strangest of them all; Minho didn’t talk to anyone.

Not a single word. He was just…there. And Jisung was highly bothered by that for reasons he couldn’t really explain himself.

His thoughts and the heavy silence in the dining room were interrupted by Felix subtly clearing his deep voice. Jisung didn’t miss how the fairy prince kept a calming hand on the still strange wolf’s fur at all time.  
He spoke up as everyone turned their attention on him, «So as you know, I let the wolf stay in my room for the longest time because he didn’t feel comfortable and strong enough. He needed to…calm down in order to transform himself back into a human and he wasn’t sure if he could trust you guys yet…«

«Ridiculous, I literally told Seokjin to heal him and let him stay here for the longest time as if he didn’t seem suspicious to all of us when you guys suddenly trespassed my shield-…«, Hyunjin immediately started, got interrupted by a subtle glare and kick from Seungmin next to him though.  
Jisung would’ve laughed at the Sin’s outburst of pride if it wouldn’t have been for his worried and own moody self.

Felix silently thanked Seungmin for keeping Hyunjin in check and then proceeded, «I know this is a really bad timing, but we have a lot of things going on and I’d want you to meet him…as a person and as the man who saved my life in the dessert. If you allow…of course…«  
It was weird, how the fairy prince talked and acted – Felix was quite bubbly and barely stoppable. He knew – of course – how to act fierce and when to be serious. But that usually didn’t stop him from still being his bright self. Jisung didn’t only assume, but somehow knew for a fact that this wolf had to be important to the fairy and for that reason alone, he decided to trust him just as much.

As they all nodded, Felix softly patted the wolf’s head with a warm smile, to which he tilted his head slightly. The wolf bowed his head in respect and retreated, walking out of the dining room with heavy and somehow cutely nervously excited steps.  
«Where is he going?«, Taehyung asked, to which Jisung couldn’t stop himself and his photographic memory from answering, «Werewolves shred their clothes apart when transforming. So when they transform back into humans, they are naked. I guess he went to Felix’s room to get some clothes and adjust first. Also, transforming is a painful and quite personal experience for wolves which they don’t like to do in front of strangers unless it’s absolutely necessary-…«  
The potion expert stopped as soon as he realized everyone was staring at him in a mixture of amusement and confusion.

Everyone but Minho.

He immediately cleared his throat in an embarrassed manner and uttered, «I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that I was ranting…«  
Chan cooed, «Jisung-ie is so cute, can we adopt him?« - «We don’t adopt grown up men, Chan«, Byeonghee immediately answered and therefore dismissed the topic.  
They both purposefully ignored Jisung’s faint blush and no one noticed Minho’s unconscious clenching of fists.

No one but Jisung.

Another set of silence was once again interrupted when there was a faint knock on the door and it opened slowly, slow, and cautious steps being heard and eventually revealing a man. He walked inside the dining room, somehow between trying to look at the overwhelming amount of people in the room and shying away from it. Felix immediately jumped up and walked over, his bubbly self somehow back but still, he was unusually gentle and reluctant with the man as he draped himself all over him and embraced him into a tight hug.

The fairy turned around with a bright smile on his face, softly but firmly pushing the stranger forwards until they stood at the unoccupied end of the table, «Introduce yourself, come on!«  
Jisung watched amused and yet weirdly intrigued how the werewolf quietly scoffed and then bowed again, this time deeper and longer. His voice was raspy from not being used for so long but nonetheless pleasant to listen to as he said, «I’m Seo Changbin and I apologize for causing you trouble. Also, I’m really thankful for what you did for me…«  
«There you go!«, Felix smiled again and patted his back, «Stop glaring at me like that, I’m starting to miss your wolf-form.«

Changbin’s face morphed into one of disapproval but he didn’t answer and instead sat back down at the table with the fairy on his left and Jisung on his right side.  
He smiled sheepishly, not exactly knowing how to act and instead decided to just introduce himself properly, «I’m Han Jisung. It’s nice to finally meet you.«  
«…«, the wolf stared at him in what seemed like a mixture of confusion and distrust, but it was really hard to read his face. Changbin was good at maintaining an emotionless expression and the only reason why Jisung noticed in the first place was because he had caught him off-guard.  
Finally, Changbin bowed his head respectfully and eventually said, «Likewise.«

Short and without any indication that this conversation was supposed to go on for any second longer. Or at least, Jisung just assumed that – until he suddenly heard the other’s voice again, «I’m sorry for being so straightforward but…have we met?«

Jisung turned his head and stared at the wolf’s face. He was thinking hard and tried finding a memory of that young man, somewhere in his brain filled with information. But the potion expert was almost certain that he had never seen him in his entire life. Hence why he shook his head with a puzzled frown, «Uhm…no. I don’t think so, you must confuse me with someone else. Unless you ever visited Orlon and saw me, but I honestly doubt that.« He laughed and offered the wolf a smile, which quickly faded though when Changbin remained silent once again, his expression somehow…worried? Troubled? Jisung couldn’t quite pinpoint it and didn’t get the chance to do so anyways when his ears suddenly caught the sound of a really loud noise, followed by feet hitting Hyunjin’s perfectly carpeted wooden floor and straining, pissed-off sounds of disapproval.

They all turned their heads towards the source, dumbfounded by the sight in front of them: Yoongi was currently carrying a tied person on his shoulder, a bored expression on his face and not bothered by the others flow of curse words. He dropped the man down onto the floor and dusted his hands and shoulders off with a tired sigh, fixing his dishevelled hair and rubbing his closed eyes with a grunt.  
Meanwhile, the kidnapped (?) man managed to get rid of the ropes around his ankles and legs, finally summoning a weapon out of nowhere (?!), attempting to hit Yoongi with said weapon.  
The God though, dodged it easily and grabbed the broadsword without being bothered by the blood that dripped down his arm, face just as lazy and bored as before. He clicked his tongue and almost immediately, the weapon started melting – Yoongi turning back its time and shaking his head at the melted metal on Hyunjin’s carpet (the Sin was not okay with this, but they all opted to ignore his offended tantrum, Seungmin kicking him under the table again and successfully shutting the Warlock up).

«Yah! Min Yoongi, you will return me my sword this instant or so Ranera help me, I will make sure she kicks your ass off to the deepest parts of Tartaru-…!« - «Stop bitching at me, I told you to follow me and you acted like a brat – you could’ve prevented this from happening«, Yoongi interrupted the unknown guy and proceeded to fix his clothes without a care in the world.  
Which his companion did not appreciate, «You mean, preventing this by just doing what you say whenever you like it?! Like sending a vengeful god back to hell without permission?!«

The atmosphere immediately changed after those words. Yoongi’s bored and halfway amused mood dropped in an instant and he fixed his goldish-dark-blue glimmering eyes on the unknown guy, who seemed to regret his words as soon as they had left his mouth.  
«I was trying to save s_omeone’s_ life because that _someone couldn’t_ just sit tight and wait like I told him to, so don’t get all cocky with me, understood?«, The god’s voice was deep and yet so powerful, Jisung felt like it could’ve caused an earthquake.  
When the other didn’t answer, Yoongi stepped towards him and repeated himself, «_Do you understand?_« The stranger obediently dropped his head in a respectful and submissive manner, not daring to look back up again, «Y-Yes. My apologies.«

A sigh left Yoongi’s lips as his mood seemed to change again, the air seemingly stopped to vibrate and Jisung finally felt like he could breathe freely. The God patted his friend’s (?) shoulder and whispered something to him, though, Jisung couldn’t understand him.

It seemed like the stranger wanted to introduce himself, but just as he took a breather to do so, Seokjin jumped up from his seat and walked over, hands squishing his chubby cheeks and dishevelling his beautiful, silver hair, «Jimin-ie! Ahh~…look at you! All cute and beautiful, how are you?«  
_Jimin-ie_ only managed to mumble some incoherent words due to the Commandment’s strong grip on his cheeks and attempted to smile, failed miserably though and instead tugged on Yoongi’s sleeve for some sort of rescue. The god immediately reacted and stared at Jin, to which the Wizard let go of the other’s cheeks and stepped back, «Ahh, always so moody…I haven’t seen him in months, stop overreacting, _geez_…«  
«_Geez_?«, Namjoon questioned with an irritated look on his face, «When did he learn that word and from _whom_?«  
Taehyung’s giggle seemed to be enough of an answer for him.

Jimin sighed and finally managed to offer a beautiful, successful smile, full lips spreading apart, cheeks pulling up, eyes forming themselves to crescent moons and joy seemingly resonating from him as he bowed slightly and said, «Though I’m here against my will, it’s a pleasure to meet you guys. My name is Park Jimin.«

Jisung startled when Seungmin suddenly stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Jimin, «It’s _you_!«  
«_Him_?«, Hyunjin questioned and jolted away from the priest when he started slapping his shoulder in such an offended way, Jisung almost felt like he learned it from the Sin of Pride himself.  
«Yes, _him_!«, Seungmin repeated and continued to stare at a still innocently smiling Park Jimin. He seemed unhappy and rather dissatisfied, Jisung wasn’t sure why though, «I heard his voice when I was unconscious! It was also his voice haunting me in my dreams!«  
Instead of denying or clearly acknowledging the young priest’s accusations, Jimin just chuckled lowly, smile still lingering on his lips but eyes now wide open, «My apologies. I’m afraid I couldn’t help it – our connection lured me into talking to you.«

«What kind of connection are we talking about?«, Hyunjin questioned and raised an eyebrow at Jin and Chanyeol, knowing that the two Commandments already knew Jimin. Though, Chanyeol only shrugged, «Yeah, what connection?«  
For a few seconds, Jimin’s eyes glowed up in a white shade, completely covering his irises and triggering something inside of Jisung – he felt a pull, a sudden wave of concentrated, powerful, divine magic. It went right through his body and for a few seconds, he felt something pulling at his heart – it hurt, hurt so badly that he had to close his eyes and grit his teeth for a few seconds.  
For some reason, he felt like he had to look up – and when he did, he was staring straight into Minho’s magenta glowing eyes.

Jisung blinked.

And suddenly, he found himself sitting on his chair as if nothing happened, staring at Jimin’s eyes. It seemed like only a second had passed since he started looking at the latter and yet, it had felt like minutes.  
«What in the name of Ranera happened just now…?«, Taehyung mumbled and shook his head aggressively, as if he was trying to regain his focus or wake himself up.  
While Jisung felt like he knew this magic. Not exactly Jimin’s magic, but the type of magic he resonated.

Glowing eyes, divine magic, weird situations which seemed to run down time. A feeling of utter piety he never once felt towards anyone – except for the few times he met Ednera, saw Kritix in his dreams or earlier, when Yoongi’s mood dropped.  
Jisung looked over and realized two things: Minho wasn’t even seated in front of him, so what he saw earlier must’ve either been his imagination or some sort of magical hallucination Jimin casted on him, and secondly; Seungmin. Just Seungmin sitting there, doing absolutely nothing.

But Jisung’s brain was working, wheels turning, engines running. Until the memory of an old book he had once read suddenly hit him out of nowhere, the lines of it clearly showing:

_‘**Divine beings, Chapter 4; legends, paragraph 8; angels:   
**divine and yet human, they are said to be a myth and a legend for hundreds of years. People who ever saw an angel are considered dead or don’t exist. Angels are shy and holy, beings with absolutely no other destiny than praying for her majesty and their goddess. Their duty is to protect the divine and work as the ultimate god’s eyes, gifted with absolute powers over humans, demons, gods, and the dead. But power has its price and angels pay the greatest.’_

As soon as the memory was over, Jisung turned his head to look at Jimin in utter shock and disbelieve. And it was then that he saw it, for just a few short seconds, as if the light were playing with his eyes; beautiful, black wings, slowly fading out into a dark blue.

Jisung blinked a few times and diverted his eyes upwards to Jimin’s face when he heard the latter chuckle softly, realizing that he had been staring at him. «It seems like you remembered something quite important. And you are indeed right; I am nothing less and nothing more than an angel.«  
Jimin pointed at Seungmin and smiled, head tilting to the left slightly, «And he is chosen by the divine to join us.«

\-----

Chaos was the right word to describe whatever happened after those words had left Jimin’s lips. Everyone literally freaked out, trying to understand what the hell happened and what this stranger was talking about. Angels were a myth, nothing else – at least to most of the people living in Ifith. There was no way that they actually existed, especially since no one ever saw proof of them existing.

But Park Jimin decided that dropping a bomb like that is reasonable and just the right thing to do. He had merely smiled sheepishly when everyone started bombarding him with questions, Jisung clearly hearing Yoongi grunting a disapproved _«This is why I told you to let me lead the conversation«_.  
For an angel, Jimin definitely didn’t act like one, at least not towards Yoongi, for he had merely stuck his tongue out at him.

Finally, after a lot of chaos and people talking back and forth, interrupting each other mid-sentence and basically being the cause of Jisung’s (and Yoongi’s, as it seemed) headache, Jimin shut them all up with just a simple _‘Shush’_, finger gently placed in front of his pouting lips. Really now, were angels supposed to look as dangerously tempting as that?  
«Now, now. While I love the attention, I must admit that you guys are annoying. And you’re causing Yoongi a headache, so please, one question after another. Let’s all sit down and talk because this will be a long story, okay?«, he said in his sweet voice and everyone obliged, some rather reluctant. Jisung was just happy that they finally stopped chickening out.

Not like _he wasn’t_ chickening out on the inside, but he was mainly confused and didn’t quite understand what was going on here. Seungmin, connected to an angel and chosen by the divine? _Who was the divine?_ A god? Someone in particular? Ranera? Or something none of them even knew…?  
His thoughts were interrupted by Jimin once again, as he started, «I’m certain you are all confused. And I’m also certain you want to know how angels exist. But for you to understand this, I need you to understand the situation. And for that, I’ll have to tell you what exactly happened a few months ago. The divine is a power unlike everything you’ve ever seen. It doesn’t really have a form. You could say it is purely divine magic, nothing else but the universe. Us angels are serving it – we are superior to gods, humans, demons, and the dead. And yet, we are also directly under them; angels are the divine’s arms, legs, and eyes. And I didn’t even know of the divine’s or angel’s existence until I…well, until life happened, you could say…«, he turned his head towards Jisung and stared at him directly, «You realized earlier than the others what I am. And in that second, you saw them, right? My wings.«

The potion expert only managed to nod slowly, trying to follow what the angel was saying. Jimin tried to stifle his chuckle and continued: «My wings are dark, for I am a punished soul. Hence why you may think I’m acting really unlikely as an angel. I should’ve died long ago but the divine considered my sins as a human so bad, it punished me by forcing me to live and work for the divine until I learned my lesson. So basically, I’m an angel who does not really have a position or function. I am the lowest spot in the hierarchy of an angel. Usually, the divine would never talk to me. But a few months ago, it ordered me to accompany the other angels in a divination…«

Jimin’s eyes suddenly became dark, «The divination of the divine is holy and untouchable. It happens very barely and usually, it directs its divinations to a god to pass on. Unfortunately though, when it tried passing it on to Ranera, something happened to her majesty. The divine lost the connection to her. You must know, the dimension in which our divine is existing runs through a different timeline. As soon as we all got kicked out because the divination was interrupted by something evil, I realized that almost a month had passed on earth. And hell was practically beginning to run loose.«

«I immediately went to ask Yoongi for help. But as soon as I arrived at his castle, I felt a sudden rush of divine magic flowing through all of my body, making me stop still and stare at the sky. It was shining brightly, a pang of light beaming down onto something and as soon as it hit its target, I knew that the divine chose someone. The connection was there – a new connection. But something was off. Because the next second, I felt hatred and evil energy spreading across the world. The same energy that interrupted the divination.«

Jisung’s brain connected the dots and he gasped, «That was the day…when the hellhounds ran loose in Orlon. And when that thing hit the temple…«

The angel sighed and now directed his eyes towards Seungmin, «It didn’t hit the temple. It hit him.«  
Everyone turned their heads towards Seungmin, who flinched upon being the centre of attention, visibly gulping down the lump in his throat. «Wait. You mean to tell me that the divine…send that thing down onto me and made me pass out?« - Seungmin seemed dumbfounded - «But…_why_?«  
«That’s the thing«, Jimin said and frowned, «I don’t know what exactly the divine wanted to accomplish. Your body was in some sort of…time freeze. You weren’t alive and you weren’t dead, time stopped running for you. If it wouldn’t have been for your magic potion expert and the coincidence that he met the Commandment of Purity and Wizard of Healing, you probably would’ve never woken up. At least not in this generation or even century.«

Jisung frowned, «Do you really think that was a coincidence though?«  
Everyone now looked at him and he continued speaking out his thoughts, «I mean, think of it. The day your divine was supposed to pass on a divination, it lost connection to Ranera and ever since then, she’s practically gone. Then, the angels got kicked out of the dimension and immediately, the divine decided to hit Seungmin with a beaming divine thing. Which could only be healed by the Awakening Potion. This is too much of a coincidence to actually be one. Most beings never even know the name of the current Commandments or Sins and yet here I am, knowing half of them. And how big are the chances that there would be a Commandment of Purity who would’ve been chosen by the God of Healing, out of every god? Who could’ve assigned Seokjin to every other Commandment…this isn’t a coincidence or luck. It almost seems like the divine planned this.«

Yoongi silently agreed by nodding his head, «It does seem suspicious. Even more so because that evil energy was just…suddenly here. And all of you have something to do with it. You guys meeting? Seems like destiny to me.«  
«Well«, Jimin said and crossed his arms in front of his chest, «Destiny or not, fact is; Seungmin over there is chosen. The weird things you can do – calming down a raging Sin of Wrath, bringing back lost souls from Chaos’ influence; that’s your divine magic. Weird is the fact that you haven’t…transformed yet.«

Confusion spread itself on Seungmin’s face, «…_Transformed_…?«  
Jisung didn’t like how Jimin’s face suddenly got darker, a look of grief and pity written in his eyes. And all of a sudden, the potion expert remembered the line he had read in that book: _‘But power has its price and angels pay the greatest’._  
«…How does someone become an angel…?«, Jisung asked and watched Jimin bite his lip nervously.  
He seemed to think a lot about whether or not he should answer that and in the end, he decided to do neither, «…Angels are…pureness. Innocence. They are human and yet…they’re divine. What the gods tried to do back in the days, thinking that by giving a human divine magic, they’d create angels…that was what caused the tradition of the Ten Commandments to start. Because they were still human. And humans…sin. They could never be angels. You know the story, of course: as a result of balance, Ranera was forced to create the Seven Sins, to make heavenly and hell magic even. She had decided after all, that her world should be based on opposites that balance each other out. The divine knew how to create angels though. They had to lack everything humans were. No emotions, no beating heart, no memories, or friends. No organism that would make them human. Just a body filled with divine magic and the destiny to serve the divine for eternity.«

Jisung knew that Seungmin wasn’t dumb. And he also knew for a fact that everyone in this room managed to connect the dots without the angel having to say anything.  
Taehyung cleared his voice, «But you…have emotions. And _you_ obviously feel things.«  
A sad smile was left on Jimin’s face, «That’s because I was a sinner in the Great War. The divine wants angels like me to remember and remain human. Because if we’d dare disobey in any way, we’d suffer worse than death or Tartarus. I am not an angel to serve the divine – I am an angel to apologize for my sins. That’s not the same. I’d do anything to forget what I have done in my life. Especially since the people I used to love are long dead.«  
He turned his head towards Seungmin again, «What he is though, is a chosen by the divine. An individual. And judging by his immense powers and the potential he already showed, I guess he’s supposed to be a higher angel; an _archangel_.«

«So you…want to tell me that…the divine _chose_ me? And that’s why…_that’s_ why I’ll eventually stop being human…?«, Seungmin mumbled in a low voice.  
«…«, Jimin didn’t answer for a long time. He just looked at Seungmin in something similar to compassion. Eventually, he sighed, «…I’m afraid that’s true.«  
«What if I don’t want to?«, Seungmin asked in a tiny voice. Jimin’s expression hardened immediately as he answered, «You have no choice in front of a god. What makes you think you have one in front of the divine?«

Without a second wasted, Seungmin suddenly stood up and attempted to walk out of the dining room. Hyunjin though immediately reacted and held his wrist, «Min-ie, wait. I understand that this is much information to take but-…« - «Do you _really_ understand?!«, Seungmin interrupted him and freed his wrist, tears glistening in his eyes, «You _don’t_ understand. _I am_ forced to be something I never asked to be and yet here you are, telling me _you understand_. You don’t. Because unlike me, you have friends and memories and emotions; while I’ll be left with _nothing_.«

And with those words said, he walked away, slamming the door to the dining room shut behind him.

Jisung knew that talking to Seungmin in a state like this won’t bring him anywhere, so he remained seated, instead looking up at Namjoon when he sighed and said, «Did you really have to say it like this? He’s barely twenty years old and you just told him he’ll eventually lose everything he learned to love.«  
«It’s the _truth_«, Jimin said sternly, «It’s not beautiful and easy but why bother telling him a sweet lie? Do you think I don’t pity him? He did nothing and yet, the divine chose him. I am paying for my sins but that boy…he did nothing wrong. I know it’s not fair. But I can’t change the truth.«

«Will he really…lose everything that makes him human? Just like that?«, Mina quietly asked into the silence.  
Jimin took a breath, eyes holding a deep sadness, «No. Not just like that. He will slowly become less and less like himself. He will lose the ability to eat and sleep. He will eventually stop talking…then, eventually, after he lost his emotions…he will lose his memories. All while being accompanied by the pain of transforming into something else, his human body adjusting to divine magic, wings growing, organism changing…« - the angel made a pause, eyes darkening as he seemed to remember his own experience - «I can only speak for myself but when it begins – and it _will_ begin, eventually – Seungmin will feel nothing less but pain. He will _suffer_. I’m not gonna lie; I wished I would’ve been able to forget. Because it haunts me. This will…not _just pass over him_.«

Byeonghee looked over to Minho, who still didn’t say anything, nor did he react in any way. Jisung didn’t miss how the Sin frowned and immediately turned his head away when he noticed the potion expert’s gaze on him.  
Jisung was certain; _Byeonghee knew something_.

His confused thoughts were interrupted though, when Hyunjin suddenly stood up and walked out of the dining room, therefore dismissing the meeting with the door falling shut behind him.

\-----

The mood in Hyunjin’s mansion was darker than ever. After the things they found out, Yoongi had silently told them that he’d return to hic castle with Jimin. He also said that if they’d need something, they should knock three times on a grandfather clock in the mansion – apparently, he’d hear that. They eventually all started doing their own thing, Jisung very suspiciously watching Minho and Byeonghee walking off together. But he didn’t follow them, too shaken by the information he learned today and too tired to bother right now.

He had decided to visit the library instead, sitting down on a window ledge while reading a random book he found interesting enough. Though, he wasn’t really reading it – his eyes were staring out of the window, watching the naked trees dancing in the stormy weather outside. It was early November and quite cold. Jisung couldn’t believe that it had barely been four months since he’d met Minho in Orlon. Since his world had started crumbling down while building itself up again to something entirely different.  
His eyes caught Mina and Chan outside, running around in Hyunjin’s dull garden, both seemingly playing around with their respective powers. Jisung also saw Jeongin sprinting back and forth between them in his fox-form, probably to give his master some space. Yeji was dragging Ryujin along, who seemed to reluctantly follow – the girl always sat around in the infirmary and Jisung was glad that Yeji dragged her out for once, laughing when Jeongin tackled Ryujin to the ground by the sheer speed of his running.

Jisung smiled faintly, fixing his eyes on a raindrop when it hit the window, slowly creating a rhythm, and getting more and more, his friends outside running around like chicken when they realized it started raining. Chan, Yeji and Jeongin seemed to enjoy it – while Mina and Ryujin were obviously displeased.  
«Are you alright?«, Jisung startled when he heard a deep voice next to him, turning around to see Felix standing in front of him. He noticed Changbin looking at the bookshelves, seemingly to give his friend some alone-time with the potion expert.

A sigh left Jisung’s lips as he repositioned himself on the ledge, making space for Felix to sit in front of him. The fairy smiled and accepted the offer, sitting down softly. «Honestly? I’m not sure…«, he answered and mirrored the fairy’s smile warmly.  
Felix hummed, «Who would’ve guessed that the boy I picked up in Orlon was a chosen angel?«, he chuckled lowly, «A lot of things happened in those few months.«  
Jisung nodded and directed his attention to the garden again when he noticed Felix’s amused snicker. Chan was now splashing even more water over a whining Yeji, who attempted to hit him with a spell and instead dragged herself and Ryujin into some sort of water spiral. Jisung could almost hear Chan’s hysterical laugh as Mina tried to help them and Jeongin did some dance around the spiral, jumping around in utter joy.

«I sometimes wonder…if I’d still be alive if it wouldn’t have been for Minho back then«, Jisung mumbled. He felt Felix’s gaze on him and elaborated without the fairy asking him to, «I’m pretty sure that…I wouldn’t. Be alive, I mean. And I wonder if that would’ve been better…«  
Felix hummed again, «Why would you think that’s the case…?« Jisung looked up at the fairy and expected him to smile positively bright, but instead, Felix had a calm expression on his face. «Think of all the things we accomplished just because you are still alive. If it wasn’t for you, Minho would’ve never come to find Seungmin. He would’ve been damned to sleep for a long time, only to wake up and realize all of his beloved ones died a long time ago. A lot of us would’ve never met…we both wouldn’t talk right now, and we’d all have no reason to be connected.«

The fairy leaned forward and grabbed Jisung’s hands carefully. His skin was cool, which made sense, considering he was a winter-fairy. Felix’s voice remained soft and deep when he said, «I think, you and Minho meeting was destiny. And I also think, that by you two meeting, by him saving you…we all had a chance of becoming friends. I believe that if you would’ve died that day…things would be worse now.«

Jisung stared at the fairy for a few seconds. As positive and hyperactive the boy could be, Felix sometimes just resembled his mother’s wisdom. «…Do you miss you mother…?«  
«Of course I do«, Felix answered immediately, «I miss her, Taecyeon, the town’s eldest – heck, I even miss my strict teacher!« - he laughed and offered a smile, turning his head towards Changbin, who just so happened to shriek when he opened a book from the _‘lively-section’_ and a bunch of insects started crawling out of it - «…besides…I would’ve also never met Changbin if I’d still be at home. So…thank you, Jisung. For being alive.«

And with those words, Felix smiled again, freckles prominent as ever and stood up, giving Jisung’s cheeks a quick smooch and running off to help Changbin with the insects.

Jisung touched his cheek and smiled fondly, muttering a soft _«Thank you, Felix…«_ before standing up to help them cleaning up the mess.

He had really missed the fairy and was glad as well that Felix was still alive…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay didn't I tell you?  
Seungmin is one of the most important characters ><  
and I really hate for putting him through this but uhm- i had to I am so sorry fnwnfefnwpfn  
Actually, I was thinking a lot about what makes an angel and yeah that's what I came up with :D please don't strangle me, y'all have other problems to deal with in this story; called Minsung, yk lmao  
there were some hints regarding our main-couple and I'm curious about what you guys think :3
> 
> Noowww this was a lot to take lmao but I can tell you, our story is about to get hotter so don't get tired yet :D  
Do you like Jimin, by the way? I personally love his character and his dynamics with Yoongi XDD he had a tough life, I hope y'all understood this ;-;
> 
> also, I thought about opening up a twitter account where I'd do updates and like...share some behind the scenes and like, scripts I have for the story - only if you want of course, I won't do it if no one bothers following LMAO
> 
> anyways, as always, thank you very very much for reading and supporting ><
> 
> stay healthy and watch out for yourselves <33


	26. elixir of sloth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i ammm baccckkkk
> 
> ya'll  
i missed this oof  
and i reaalllyyy don't want to stop you any longer from keep reading sooo
> 
> i'll talk more in the end and let you enjoy the chapter uwu!

**Elixir of Sloth;  
Just like there are potions of heaven, there are also potions of hell. The Elixir of Sloth is pushing people to be exactly this; lazy, unbothered, tired. And the longer people are under its influence, the worse its effect gets. Hellish potions have the bad after effect that they don’t just stop being effective with time, rather than getting more powerful with the second. You can only heal someone from a hellish potion with the direct opposite of it used as an antidote.  
The Elixir of Sloth is one of the most dangerous ones, for if people stop caring, they eventually stop having a will to live…**

Jisung started to get tired of this; the meetings, everyone either being awfully quiet or loud as fuck. Though he had to admit that he preferred his friends talking instead of just sitting there like a bunch of uncomfortable people who have never met in their entire life.

Unsurprisingly, Seungmin was nowhere to be seen. Jisung guessed that he just needed time and honestly; who could blame him for it? The knowledge that he was supposed to transform into an angel hit them all, but no one could imagine how the young priest himself must feel. The mere thought that his best friend wouldn’t remember him anymore made the potion expert’s mood drop immediately – at this point, he even wished he would’ve let Seungmin sleep so he wouldn’t have to deal with this right now.

Unsurprising Part Two; Jisung couldn’t sleep properly. He wasn’t even mad about it anymore because he figured out long ago that he needed Minho to get proper rest. But the Warlock was basically off-limits. At least for as long as it took Jisung to stop staring at Minho’s lips or remembering the other’s hands on his waist. Really, it started getting really annoying.  
Worst of all was that Minho still didn’t talk and when he did, just barely. Jisung noticed something quite fast; the Warlock wasn’t avoiding _Jisung_, he was acting this distant to _everyone_. He also noticed that _Minho wasn’t following Byeonghee_ around – the _Sin of Wrath followed him_ around. Minho didn’t seem to care, not about Byeonghee, not about Chan or Jisung or anyone or anything. He just seemed to be…out of care.

Whatever it was, it was _weird_. And Jisung was sure that Byeonghee knew why the Warlock was acting like this.

For now, he tried focusing on Yoongi as he was the one who had been called by Seokjin. Apparently, the Commandment had something important to discuss, which was why they were all seated inside the dining room once again. «Why am I here again?«, Yoongi asked and raised an eyebrow at Jin.  
The latter sighed and answered, «So I’ve been thinking the past few days and I want to ask you something. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but…I’d really appreciate it if you would.«

Yoongi seemed just as dumbfounded upon Seokjin’s careful and respectful words – the Commandment usually acted like an annoying mother towards the God and didn’t even consider showing some sort of respect. He didn’t complain though and nodded as a sign for the other to continue.  
Seokjin hesitated, «…Within the Great War…how many Gods survived?«

Jisung immediately noticed Yoongi’s mood dropping, if only for the suddenly cold air and heavy silence. They all expected the God to deny his question or ignore it, but to all of their surprise, Yoongi just swallowed and said, «Why do you need to know that?«  
«I’ve been thinking, as I said. And there’s something I don’t understand. Gods are…immortal beings. So even if you die, you should be able to come back as soon as your divine magic was restored. It’s been centuries and yet, there are only a handful of Gods left, all the others are gone. And I don’t understand how or why. If they’d really be as dead as her Majesty, Queen Ranera, told us they are, they wouldn’t be able to choose Commandments and Sins. I can’t really communicate with my God but sometimes, I see him in my dreams. Jisung had dreams about Kritix dying and-…«

Yoongi stopped him and turned to look at Jisung with a mixture of confusion, concern and…actual fear? «You _saw_ Kritix dying in your dreams?!«  
Jisung nodded hesitantly, «…Every night, same thing. There were shadows slowly swallowing her up and she kept screaming for help. Every time I tried to help her, those shadows held me back and I woke up with scratches on my legs and arms. It stopped though when Hyunjin started suppressing the dreams I get from her.« He watched as the God swallowed, nervously tugging on the collar of his shirt. Namjoon narrowed his eyes, «You know something…right?«

Jimin, who sat next to Yoongi and hadn’t said a single word until now, suddenly spoke up, «Those shadows…what did they look like?«  
Everyone looked at Jisung, expecting him to say something. He blinked and tried to remember, frowning at the memory, «…Black. Uhm…they were like…liquid smoke? I don’t know just…it resonated such an ugly power that I almost felt like throwing up when they appeared in my dreams for the very first time. Similar to what I felt when the hellhounds invaded Orlon.«  
The angel and Yoongi shared a pointed look. While the God looked like he wanted to throw up, Jimin’s expression was full of concentration and…anger?  
«The shadows you saw. They are called the _Plague_ and belong to the God of Calamity. He is…off-limits for every living and unliving being. Not even demons want to be affiliated to him. Hellhounds are scared of that thing. The Plague is his…power. One of his powers to get souls. The God of Calamity used to work for Ranera and with the Divine. He broke rules and was punished for it. But locking a God away isn’t that easy, as you may have noticed with Chaos. The Divine needed to make sure that the God of Calamity would remain where he is, which is why it created a whole new dimension to lock him up in. It’s what you people in Ifith call the _‘Abyss’_. The deepest point of hell, beyond everything, even beyond the Tartarus, and a place where no soul, no matter how bad its sins were, would deserve to end up.«

Jisung shuddered – the _Plague_ had touched his arms and he had watched that thing kill Kritix over and over again. «Wait«, he started and frowned even more, «Does that mean…the God of Calamity got Kritix…?«  
The God of Time swallowed, «After what happened in the Great War, Ranera wanted to punish the Gods who were responsible for the things they’d done. She acted without the Divine’s permission, ordering the God of Calamity to take the souls of the ones to blame. And so…he did.«  
«What about Ednera?«, Taehyung suddenly asked and elaborated when the God only raised a tired and confused eyebrow at him, «…According to Ednera herself, she was punished for something she did back then. She said she was one of the reasons why the War even happened. Why didn’t Ranera order Calamity to take her soul as well?«

Yoongi pressed his lips into a thin line. «Because Ednera is her direct opposite. She needs her powers to function. Also…Ranera knew that Ednera wasn’t entirely at fault. Nothing that happened that day was anyone’s fault.«  
A scoff interrupted the God, coming from Jimin next to him, «If you’d want to blame _someone_, blame Ranera.« As soon as the words left his mouth, Jimin’s nose began bleeding and he cursed, glaring daggers at the roof of Hyunjin’s dining room, «_Really_ now? It’s not like I’m wrong, am I?!«  
«Stop sinning with blasphemy and shut up or else, the archangels are going to get even more pissed at you«, Yoongi said and patted his boyfriend’s (?) back soothingly.

«Now?«, Seokjin said and tilted his head, «You still didn’t answer me.«  
Yoongi sighed, «With me? Four Gods; Ranera, me, Ednera and Abium, the God of Fire.«  
Mina frowned, «Abium? He’s _alive_?«  
«He is. Though, he barely speaks to me or Chanyeol«, Byeonghee admits and shrugs.

The God of Time clicked his tongue, «I hate his guts. He’s annoying and I’m glad I haven’t seen him in centuries.«  
«Why?«, Namjoon asked confused. The angel started chuckling, «He and the God of Fire have some sort of…_past_.«  
Jimin purposefully ignored the God’s glare and leaned forward with a mischievous grin, «Rumour has it, Abium risked his head so Yoongi wouldn’t get hurt in the Great War. They were all lovey-dovey.«  
«That’s enough, shut up«, Yoongi said and pinched Jimin’s arm, to which the angel started pouting, «You never let me have some fun, pff…«

«Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore«, Byeonghee shrugged and raised an eyebrow, «As far as I know, Ednera pretty much disappeared, just like Ranera. We’re alone and somehow have to figure out what we’re supposed to do next.«

\-----

There was a point – sometime while Jisung’s brain finally shut down and he was running on autopilot – in which he started questioning everything everyone ever said. And when he slammed the seventeenth book about divinations and oracles shut, he especially questioned Byeonghee and his last sentence; _why the freaking fuck should they even do anything in the first place?_  
Jisung stared at the pile of useless books and the empty spot for useful books, his last few months passing through him once again. Not being able to sleep properly sure as hell made him do and say things that were…totally out of context and unnecessary, sometimes even rude. Just after their meeting ended, Mina had asked him to help her carry some chairs back into their respective place, to which he had just blinked confused and answered, «Why would we do that?«. He didn’t mean to sound rude or like he had thousand better things to do than keeping Hyunjin’s mansion somehow…organized. What he had tried to say was, _«Why aren’t you using your magic?«._ Mina’s utterly confused and dumbfounded expression had quickly changed into one of shyness and reluctance, to which Jisung immediately reacted with a flustered smile, tiredly helping her doing the chairs.

When Namjoon had asked him where he was going, Jisung had totally ignored him because he thought that he’d told the Commandment already. Which earned him a slap on the back of his head, his offended expression quickly fading as soon as Namjoon explained his pissed-off face.

He definitely needed sleep.

And Byeonghee marching inside with the most worried expression on his face didn’t make it any freaking better, especially not when Jisung barely even noticed him until the Warlock finally spoke up, voice weirdly layered with something akin to compassion. That look should’ve bothered Jisung more than his tired brain allowed it to, «You’re acting weird.«  
Well, Jisung noticed.  
Somehow.  
He nodded slowly and continued staring at the empty spot on the table he was sitting at. Byeonghee walked around him and took a seat in front of Jisung, eyebrows still furrowed. It made him look older almost immediately, his usually calm and cute, angel-like face suddenly leaving a wise and clever impact on Jisung.  
«…Minho is acting weird.«

That finally managed to snap Jisung out of his weird autopilot-mode, setting his eyes on the Warlock while raising a suspicious eyebrow. He didn’t even need to say anything for Byeonghee to understand his look. The Sin of Wrath sighed, «You noticed, huh? That I know what’s going on.«  
He then proceeded to pull at his hair in what seemed like frustration, sigh turning into a groan and face dropping on the surface of the table, his forehead making a dull sound while he did so, making Jisung flinch, «I’d so want to tell you, but Minho would kill me soundless, god damnit!«

«…What do you expect me to do then?«, Jisung asked in a surprisingly monotone voice. Byeonghee looked up at him with nothing less but a big, fat question mark on his face. He shook his head and shrugged, «I…I don’t know. Talk to him?«  
Honestly, the potion expert was shocked at his own sarcastic laugh when he answered, «We literally had our tongues down each other’s throats and I kicked him out afterwards, _do you really think_ that talking would fix…_whatever_ it is that’s wrong with him?«  
Byeonghee’s expression changed – maybe because of Jisung’s recklessly spit out emotions, maybe because he just felt like this was going too far or maybe, because the potion expert really _did_ test his nerves here. But his face was icy when he answered, «You are not better than him. Have you seen your reflection lately? You look dead.«  
«I know«, Jisung said and shrugged, holding the Sin’s eye-contact bravely, «People tend to look like shit if they haven’t actually slept in days.«

The icy expression faded and Byeonghee instead released a deep breath, shoulders sinking in and body leaning back on his chair, «I’m so done. Gods are disappearing, Seungmin is a soon-to-be Angel, you kissed your almost lover and Minho is doing stupid things I can’t tell anyone…«  
Jisung was so tired that his brain didn’t even feel like reacting to the term _‘kissing your almost lover’_.   
«It’s not like there’s something I can do so why are you here?«, he knew that he was unnecessarily rude towards the Sin of Hell, but he was easily annoyed when tired and Jisung couldn’t deny himself that he felt a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach whenever he saw Byeonghee and Minho – jealousy, an unreasonably dumb one to top it all off.

For a few seconds, it seemed like Byeonghee considered his next words very thoroughly – as if he’d have to choose between two different destinies. His expression softened though, and the concentrated look faded into a tired sigh, «…Nothing. There’s nothing you can do. How about we’ll go cook something for the others? Chan doesn’t shut up about how he wants to cuddle you because you look like shit. No offense.«

Jisung let his eyes linger on the pile of useless books a little longer and caught himself smiling slightly when his thoughts went to the smiley and bubbly Commandment, probably pouting and sulking over sitting alone in his room and waiting for someone to entertain him. He nodded slowly and stood up, offering Byeonghee the first sincere smile he managed to pull off today, «…Yeah. Sure. Let’s do this.«

\-----

The very second Byeonghee and Jisung walked inside the kitchen, Chan jumped up from behind a counter. He had the brightest smile ever on his face, arms spreading and pace fast as he went to hug Jisung almost immediately, «Sung-ie! Welcome to Chan’s kitchen!« **_(A/N: I had to do that here I am so sorry it just fit so well jwfcnenfnwnifn)_**.

The potion expert mumbled something, his words though weren’t really coherent for anyone because Chan was pulling and pinching at his cheeks with the widest smile he had ever seen. The Commandment cooed in total awe and spun Jisung around, showing him off to Byeonghee as if he were proud of him, «Look, Byeonghee! Look how cute he is, isn’t he just adorable?!«  
The Sin sighed, a soft smile dancing around his lips as he answered, «Yes, Chan. He’s as sweet as chocolate. But we won’t adopt him.«  
The immediate pout on Chan’s lips was so persistent, Jisung didn’t even need to see it to know he was obviously displeased, «Why won’t you just say yes when I ask you things?«

Byeonghee walked around the kitchen and started answering in an amused tone, though he was interrupted by tripping over something behind the counter, barely stopping himself from meeting the floor with his face. He stared down at whatever was lying in the way, «Chan, _sweetie_?«  
Jisung felt the other tense behind him and raised an eyebrow at that and the fact that Byeonghee’s voice was uncharacteristically sweet. «…Yes, _darling_?«  
«Why is Taehyung lying here with his mouth taped closed and passed out?«, Byeonghee asked and mimicked Chan’s smile when the latter only hummed childishly, «_I have no idea~…_«

Apparently, Chan was a two-faced rat. All of his sweet and caring warm embraces and smiles were honest and genuine. That didn’t mean he couldn’t be cruel and absolutely creepy sometimes though. As Byeonghee managed to make Chan confess, Taehyung had been getting on the Commandment’s nerves and Chan enchanted him with a spell that would make him fall asleep. The tape followed because the Sin of Sloth seemed to talk in his sleep and Chan defended himself by saying _‘He wanted to enjoy the solitude of his kitchen’_. Utter bullshit, considering this was neither his kitchen, nor did he enjoy his solitude. Jisung honestly didn’t want to know what Chan would’ve done to the sleeping Taehyung if he and Byeonghee wouldn’t have entered the kitchen.

Byeonghee scolded his boyfriend (?) and forced him to undo the spell. Instead of a thank you from Taehyung though, the Sin only yawned and complained that he had been dreaming of his favourite cake talking to him and he wanted to sleep again. Needless to say, Byeonghee’s nerves had been close to snapping.

Now, they were all cooking dinner, Jisung ordering everyone around and assigning them tasks to do. Chan was outside in the dining room, organizing the table, Byeonghee was cutting some apples for the dessert and Taehyung was stirring the soup (because Jisung didn’t trust him to do anything else in his sleepy, lazy self). The potion expert himself was cutting the remaining vegetables and bread for the soup.  
It was fairly quiet in the kitchen, the only thing being heard were the plates Chan was organizing outside, Taehyung’s occasional yawns and the sound of food being chopped.

Without even noticing it, Jisung started humming a melody, a rhythm forming and his head softly lulling back and forth while doing so. He had a feeling of Dejavu, memories of the busy times in his pub crossing his mind. He used to sing along to some melodies he had heard on town festivals or from his mother while working, people listening with smiling faces and sometimes even staying longer because of that.  
The melody he was humming used to be a lullaby his mother always hummed to him when he couldn’t sleep. It always made him sleepy thinking of it but when he was the one singing it, he realized how beautiful it truly was.

His humming was suddenly interrupted though when he heard a loud thumb and someone hissing. Jisung stopped his concentrated chopping, startling out from his trance and turning around to see Byeonghee stare at his bleeding finger and Taehyung fixing the pot with a dumbfounded stare.  
«What’s wrong? Did you cut yourself? And are you sleeping with your eyes open, Tae?«, Jisung asked and walked over to Byeonghee with a worried expression, dragging him over to where he knew Hyunjin stored some band-aids (Yeji had once cut herself while trying to make a dessert for them. To Jisung’s surprise, Yeji absolutely could not handle blood and fainted as soon as she had realized that the red drops weren’t from the tomato).

Byeonghee shook his head in a weird manner, «W-What…did I cut myself?«  
«…What just happened?«, Taehyung uttered confused. Jisung frowned and carefully cleaned up Byeonghee’s cut, wrapping his finger up in a band-aid. «Are you guys okay? I thought _I _was the one who couldn’t sleep.«

All of a sudden, Taehyung’s eyes flashed a silvery-white – his colour, as it seemed. He gasped and fixed his void eyes on the potion expert, «You hummed. You started humming a melody. What was that?«  
Jisung frowned even more, «I’m not sure…my mother used to sing it to me when I was a child.«  
The Sin of Sloth stepped forward and fixed him with a stare, «How did she know that? Who taught her how to sing it?«  
«I don’t know!«, the potion expert answered and took a step back, «She just did, I never asked her why because she died before I could do so! She sang it to me, and I remembered it, that’s all!«

«Oh no«, Taehyung said and shook his head firmly, «That’s not all, do you have any freaking idea what that song is? What it does? How dangerous it is?«  
Byeonghee stepped forward with a confused expression on his face, «Taehyung stop talking around the bush and spit it out, Jisung doesn’t understand what’s going on and neither do I!«

Before the Sin of Sloth could even open his mouth to answer, the door to the kitchen fell shut and they all turned their heads to Chan, who answered instead, «You just used something on us that’s commonly known as an _‘Unholy Relict’_.«  
Jisung stared at Chan and then looked back at Taehyung with mixed feelings, «Wait! But an _Unholy Relict _is a part of the Key to Hell! It’s literally your Relict!«  
«Indeed«, Taehyung confirmed and looked down on Jisung with a dangerously unsatisfied expression, eyes void of anything related to feelings, «Which is why I’m confused. No one should’ve seen my Relict apart from me. So tell me, how did your mother know the melody of one of the most dangerous Unholy Relicts to exist; _the melody of the Song of Sloth?_«

\-----

«Could you please stop walking around me like I committed some sort of crime?!«, Jisung exclaimed, his nerves finally having enough of this. After their discovery in the kitchen, Taehyung had very forcefully dragged Jisung past an even more confused Chan to the Salon, where – almost as if it were a normal thing – nearly everyone was already seated. Taehyung was obviously mad and to some extent, Jisung understood why. But it’s not like he purposefully hummed that song, knowing what it was doing to the people around him.

The Sin of Sloth stopped circling Jisung’s seat and instead glared at him, «This is not a joke, Han. Your mother knew the Song of Sloth and I want to know how and why.«  
«And I’m telling you for the nth time; I don’t know!«, Jisung exclaimed, glaring at the Warlock with an equally pissed-off look.  
It was then that Namjoon seemed to have heard enough, for he finally stepped in-between the two with a stern expression on his face, «Stop, both of you.«  
Jisung felt something striking through his whole body, forcing him to behave, to listen and to be peaceful. He risked a look at Namjoon and immediately felt both, his magical power, and the Commandment of Pacifism.

Taehyung, surprisingly, grit his teeth and glared at Namjoon, «What would you say if someone would just randomly use the Horn of Pacifism, huh?!«  
The Commandment held the Warlock’s glare with a dull expression on his face. It was the first time Jisung saw Namjoon losing his temper as he stepped forward with crossed arms and head held high, voice an octave deeper than usual and eyes shimmering in his cyan colour, «You will calm down or you’ll wish you would’ve listened when I told you to.«  
Something similar to piety went through Taehyung’s eyes as the anger slowly faded and instead made room for something calm. He breathed through his nose a few times, «Did you just…use your Commandment on me?«

«Hell yes he did«, Seokjin answered instead of Namjoon, «And he did it pretty furiously to top it all off. That’s a first for him, congratulations Tae.«  
«Shut up«, Namjoon said unamused and pushed Taehyung into a seating position on an armchair far away from Jisung. It was also a first for everyone to hear him talk to Jin with anything else but admiration and regret. Jin didn’t seem to be offended, rather than amused, as he tried to hide his smirk behind the book he was reading up until now.  
«Now«, Namjoon turned around to look at Jisung, «You said your mother used to sing that melody to you as some sort of lullaby. I know it’s hard and you said that you don’t know anything but try to think – is there anything that would connect your mother to the Song of Sloth?«

And Jisung thought. He really did. He searched his memory for anything regarding his late mother, anything about her that would help them understand. But he couldn’t.  
With a sigh, Jisung shook his head, «I’m sorry, no. I just know that she sang it to me. I don’t remember her telling me anything about it though. It was just a lullaby for me, I never cared asking as a child. And now…she’s dead.«  
A new voice startled them all out of their followed silence, «What about your grandmother?«  
Jisung turned around and saw Seungmin, for the first time in what seemed like ages. He had been hiding inside his bedroom for the past couple of days, shutting everyone and everything out – not even Hyunjin or Jeongin were allowed to enter his room. Hence why the Warlock of Nature probably almost jumped out of his seat, tired features suddenly lightning up again as he went to touch Seungmin all over his face, examining and questioning him as if he had been on the most dangerous mission existing.

Obviously, Seungmin being Seungmin, the young priest/soon-to-be-angel pushed Hyunjin away with an annoyed grunt, «Stop touching me, I’m fine. I just needed…some time for myself.« He turned to look at Jimin – the Angel and his boyfriend (?) Yoongi somehow chilled around in Hyunjin’s mansion for the past days. It seemed like at least for Jimin, Seungmin had been the reason, for the two of them merely bowed their heads to each other, something similar to thankfulness visible in Seungmin’s eyes. They didn’t say anything though. Or at least, as Jisung suspected, not verbally for everyone to hear.

Jisung finally sighed and shook his head as an answer to Seungmin’s question from earlier, «I don’t know where my grandmother is – or if she’s still alive, for that matter.«  
«No way, that woman was a tough being. There’s no way she already died without wanting to see you again after all these years«, Seungmin said, sighing and finally giving up at trying to push Hyunjin away from him.

Now, Jisung was confused, «How would you know that I’ve never met her?«  
And as far as he could remember, he really didn’t. He knew that she was alive for she sent him a letter or two from time from time, but they had eventually stopped two or three years ago. His mother always used to tell him she lived too far away to visit, so neither of them ever did. He only ever heard stories about his dearest grandmother. Jisung just assumed that, after the letters stopped, she must’ve died. And since he never met her, nor had any idea where exactly _‘too far_ away’ was, he never questioned that or went to look for her.

So the fact that Seungmin seemed to know all of that about his dearest grandmother wasn’t only confusing, but also quite mysterious to him.  
The young priest frowned, «What are you talking about? Don’t you remember that night when you were a child? You almost died?«  
Jisung’s confusion rose, «Huh?«  
«You sleepwalked somewhere into the woods and when your father went to look for you as usual, he found you with wounds and almost frozen to death, passed-out. They didn’t know what to do so my parents had to drive them to your grandmother since she used to be a Connecter. I travelled along because my parents didn’t want to leave me in Orlon all by myself. I was scared you’d never wake up again«, Seungmin said in a rush, voice stained with just as much confusion as Jisung himself felt.

His frown intensified and he tried remembering that night, «How…how old was I?«  
«…Your father was still with you so maybe four years old? Not that old. And not much later, your father disappeared.« Seungmin seemed concerned all of a sudden, «Are you alright?«  
Jisung really tried remembering this but his brain remained a fog of darkness. «I-…Seungmin I don’t remember that. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.«  
«There’s no way you were that out of it!«, Seungmin exclaimed.  
While Byeonghee seemed to have a totally different concern, «Jisung’s grandmother was a Connecter?!«

Again, Jisung frowned. He wasn’t sure if his grandmother was a Connecter, though he did know what a Connecter was, of course. Connecters were Sorcerers of Unnatural Magic, just like Magic Potion Experts. They were gifted with the ability to see and manipulate the Lifelines and Destiny-String. Both were important parts of a living being’s life – your Lifeline shows how long you still have to live. The tighter it is, the less time you have. If it tears apart, you die. Depending on how you’ve acted in your life, the Lifeline is connected to either Hell or Heaven. There are people who aren’t connected to neither Hell, nor Heaven – Jeongin is an example for that, because he is a long dead person who remained _‘alive’_ on earth.  
The Destiny-String is connected to whatever your destiny may be – a person, a thing, a place, an animal or maybe even nothing at all. Most people die without ever getting near their destiny though. Legends say that if you’ve found your destiny, you’ll feel some type of way – they say that life seems to make sense after that. Jisung wouldn’t know, of course. It’s just what he had heard about it.

Connecters were able to see and touch those strings.  
«If my grandmother really is or was a Connecter«, Jisung said and frowned, «That would mean she…manipulated my Lifeline? Since you said I almost died that night?«  
Seungmin mimicked his frown again, «I can’t believe you were that out of it that you can’t remember that night. You were crying and shaking so badly. And there were…wounds all over your chest and legs. It looked like something wanted to _drag_ you through the woods. You were…horrified.«

Everyone remained silent after those words.  
Jisung tried to remember that night by focusing on what Seungmin just told him – but no matter what he tried or how hardly he wanted to remember, there wasn’t anything he could recall that was similar to how his best friend described it.  
«Well«, Namjoon finally broke the silence, «It doesn’t really matter, Jisung doesn’t remember it. And I don’t think Seungmin remembers where his grandmother used to live – _if_ she’s still alive. So I guess we should just agree that Jisung shouldn’t sing that song anymore and try to figure out what to do next.«

They all silently agreed, though, Jisung had to admit he barely caught anything from what Namjoon had told them, too busy trying to remember something…

\-----

It probably shouldn’t have been as surprising to Jisung that he’d eventually walk into Minho, considering they were literally sleeping and living in the same house. But even so, Jisung couldn’t help but jump when he awoke from his weird nightmare, head snapping up from its uncomfortable position on his crossed arms and eyes meeting with Minho’s absolutely stunning face. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at Jisung, as he seemed to read a book about hypnosis.  
Approximately one and a half hours ago, Jisung went to the library to continue his research. Though, as his tired brain had finally decided that enough is enough, he fell asleep shortly after sitting down and reading a chapter about some legend he had already read about ten times in just as many different books.

He absolutely did not expect to wake up and see Minho just sitting at the table in front of him.  
Absolutely startled, Jisung’s brain seemed to finally realize that the person he had been avoiding for days was just casually sitting there. He straightened his back on the comfortable chair he was sitting on and pointed an accusing finger at Minho, as if he‘d caught him committing some crime, »Wait, what are _you_ doing here?!«

Minho, seemingly not bothered by Jisung‘s antics, merely answered with a monotonous voice, »I didn’t want you to walk around the mansion all by yourself at night, so I decided to keep you company until you’re in your bedroom.«

Jisung was baffled for a few seconds, too astonished by the mere fact that Minho actually answered in the first place. And then, the meaning of his words hit him full force, face getting hot and he swore he could feel smoke coming out of his ears as he tried to will away the red checks, »I-…uhm…I can watch out for myself, you don’t need to…sit around with me…«

The Warlock let his sharp cat-like eyes travel from the page he was reading to Jisung‘s face, gaze lingering on him for a few seconds too long before he said, »I am not sitting around, I‘m reading. And I‘m assuming you‘ll research.«

His assumption absolutely did not sound like an assumption.

Jisung tried to maintain eye-contact but failed miserably, the was the other‘s eyes continued staring him down somehow irritating him. And so, he just silently agreed by sitting down and continuing where he left off before Byeonghee had come to distract him.

It was fairly quiet in the library, no laughs or silent chatter about something interesting they‘ve both just read – and it was weird. Jisung wasn‘t used to Minho being quiet, to him being anything but touchy and whiny. And while the potion expert usually tried to make Minho stop tickling his waist for at least two minutes, he now realized…that he missed it. He missed the touches, the smiles, and bad jokes. Because Minho without that goofy smile on his lips wasn’t…Minho.

Jisung caught himself staring into the air, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts and instead risking a glance at Minho. They barely talked within the last couple of days and the Warlock pretty much distanced himself from everyone in the mansion. But even without a smile on his face, Minho was breathtakingly beautiful. The way his smooth skin seemed to glow in the soft light of the evening sun shining through the big crystal windows in the library. How his long eyelashes casted shadows onto the high cheek bones. The way his long eyelashes casted shadows onto the high cheek bones and his lips formed an almost natural pout, even when he wasn’t intentionally trying to get a snack from Jisung‘s prepared dessert.

He frowned at Minho without even realizing it, only getting out of his thoughts when the latter suddenly said something, mirroring Jisung’s stare with void eyes, »What’s wrong?«  
Jisung blinked and opened his mouth to answer him – there were so many things wrong right now and so many things no one understood. But instead of addressing the actual problem and his actual worries, the magic potion expert blurted out the next best thing that occupied his brain – and wasn’t exposing his thoughts about Minho.  
»…Do you think Ranera is really gone?«

There were a few seconds in which Minho seemed to think deeply about what he should answer. Jisung assumed that there were some things the Warlock knew and couldn’t tell. He was almost certain that Minho was bound to a divination and therefore simply wasn’t allowed to tell him everything. Which must be why he was hesitating to say something in the first place.  
But eventually, Minho answered, »…I’m not sure if she’s dead; if that’s what you want to know. But as a matter of fact, no one can reach her anymore and I’m fairly certain that that’s why people in Atror were acting so weird when you tried to get inside the castle.«

Jisung nodded and watched Minho continue reading, his mind whirling around what they had been talking about today.

Taehyung’s Unholy Relict – the Key to Hell, the Song of Sloth. Jisung didn’t know about its existence, nor had was he aware that the melody he kept humming the last couple of days and weeks was a deadly spell of sloth.  
»…I think that something is seriously wrong with me…», Jisung finally uttered and bit his lip, trying to ignore the blank stare Minho sent his way, »…That Bastrath that tried to get my heart. Twice, as it seemed, and I don’t even remember the first time. Memories from my childhood that simply do not exist in my memory and yet, Seungmin remembers some things perfectly. I just…something isn’t right. And I’m just so scared because it feels like it’s important, it feels like we’d all be a lot less clueless if I’d just remember and-…«

Jisung stopped ranting when Minho suddenly turned him over in his chair, body hovering over him, arms resting on the armrests, face a weird mixture of that usual grey boredom and…affection? There was a light in Minho’s eyes, barely there, barely even visible. But for a few seconds, when Minho uttered those few words, it seemed like he was himself again.

»I will not let anything happen to you ever again. I promise.«

Jisung’s heart skipped a few beats, his lips parting in a failed attempt to answer anything, but his mind was blank when he felt Minho’s warm touch on his cheek – soft and careful, almost tender. As if Jisung would break if he’d use too much pressure. He inched closer, their breath mixing together, their eyes staring into each other’s as Minho whispered, »I can’t let anything happen to you. And I won’t.«  
He continued to stare into Jisung’s eyes, and then – out of nowhere – pulled away just as fast as he had suddenly hovered over the potion expert. Minho’s breath was heavy, and he pointedly looked at Jisung when he said, »Which is why I need to stay away from you as good as possible.«

And then, without saying anything else, Minho walked out of the library, leaving a red-faced, confused Jisung back, who’s heart couldn’t stop hammering against his chest.

_What is this feeling…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been way too long oof TAT
> 
> bUt as I promised, it's d-day and I'm delivering one chapter for my dearest readers uwu  
I hope you liked it cause it was a little bit confusing - if you have any questions, i'll be happy to answer them in the comments :3
> 
> Jisung seems to have some problems he was unaware of until now. Who is that mysterious grandmother of his and why did he almost die in his childhood...? How did his mother know about the Song of Sloth...? So many questions and you guys don't even knOw what to do with it! But I guess I hinted to you that we'll soon meet a new character... :D i'm curious about who you guys think it is uwu  
And Minho seems to have a lot of emotions about Jisung, considering he literally turned them off...right? I wonder what that cute little heartbreaking Minsung moment there was about :DD
> 
> As for the Relicts. I think I explained some things about it briefly once in another chapter, but I'll go into more details here;  
The Holy and Unholy Relicts are guarded by the Ten Commandments and Seven Sins. They are split apart parts from the Keys to Heaven and Hell and the only thing that can open the doors to these two other dimensions. Other than that, they are also filled with an immense divine, magical power; while the Ten Holy Relicts are all individual representations of a certain Commandment. the Seven Unholy Relicts are the same with the Sins. Every Relict can be used by anyone, which is why they are guarded very thoroughly - only the Wizards and Warlocks of Heaven and Hell know about their respective Relict's whereabouts and it is their highest duty to guard and protect them with all their life. The Relicts all have an individual power that reflects the Sin or Commandment they belong to; like for example the Song of Sloth we had in this chapter, which forces people who hear it to feel drowsy and care less and less about anything...until they eventually stop caring at all.  
The Relicts are very dangerous and should not be used unless absolutely necessary; most of them have an addicting aura, which forces their user to the brink of obsession and insanity. Even the Ten Great Wizards and the Seven Powerful Warlocks themselves usually fear the powers of the Relicts (Namjoon mentioned that he saw his Relict, the Horn of Pacifism, once in his entire life and had to force himself to not touch it, that's how strong they are. He never willingly came back to his Holy Relict ever again).
> 
> Soo that's some small wikia for you guys about the Relicts uwu  
As for now, as always, I thank you very very much for reading and commenting and liking and supporting and being here uwu
> 
> Stay healthy!  
Your author-nim <33


	27. drop of possession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello~  
i'm actually a day early but i'm on time sO whO cAres
> 
> without further ado, let's get to the chapter and i hope y'all are in for some shit lmao   
have fun uwu

**Drop of Possession;  
A very infamous potion and to many people, more of a poison than anything else; the Drop of Possession does…weird things to its consumers. Its original purpose is, to make people long for everything, to make them obsessed with the thought of possessing things; more and more with no end in sight. Though, the real recipe for that potion somehow disappeared over the years and so, all that’s left is a very poorly written list of the ingredients needed. Pretty sure some are missing though, and no one really knows how exactly you have to mix this potion. We do have a description in this book but, alias, we wouldn’t recommend you to…follow it.  
Apart from some really bad stomach ages, I doubt you’d get anything possessive from this potion…**

_Jisung felt like groaning and ripping his hair out when he opened his eyes in yet another dream of his and especially when he recognized the green sky and the slowly dying ground under his feet.  
»Oh come on! Why are you back in my head again?!«, he questioned and glared at Kritix, as she stared at him with something similar to panic. Jisung expected her to do what he was used of her; dying and screaming for help no one could give her. But for the first time ever since he started having this dream, she did none of that. Instead, she turned around and started mumbling some things. Jisung watched as there were vines and trees suddenly growing from beneath the ground, shooting out and fending off any lurking, dangerous dark magic called the ‘Plague’, a soft green light surrounding them._

_Kritix sighed and turned back around, her eyes still glowing a light green, probably because she had to keep the magical wall behind her stable.  
»Listen, Jisung-ie. We don’t have much time«, she said and Jisung couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds. He wanted to say something but instead felt himself captivated by her graceful steps and stunning presence, even more so when the Goddess of Nature finally stopped only a metre away from him. He stopped staring when he caught her fondly giggling at his dumbfounded state, a soft smile gracing her delicate, fairy-like features. Now that he looked at her, she almost looked like one – a fae-creature. Which could be very much possible, Jisung didn’t know what she used to be before becoming a Goddess after all.  
»You are adorable«, she sing-songed but her sweet smile quickly faded when her magical plants released an ear-piercing sound, almost like a scream, »You need to remember what I’ll tell you now, Jisung. Ranera and Ednera can’t help you anymore which means you are alone. I am aware that things are complicated right now and even more so that you probably have so many questions. But there is no time for this, and this isn’t the place, nor the situation. I need you to do something for me before we meet again.«_

_Again, Jisung was caught in a staring daze, unsure of how to speak to a Goddess. But he forced himself and his brain to swallow any time-consuming questions and instead nodded slowly, feeling that this was urgent, knowing that whatever it was she needed – it must’ve been important enough to break past the restriction Hyunjin built for her, so she’d stop appearing in Jisung’s dreams.  
Kritix stepped even closer, her brownish-green eyes softly gazing at him with such an intense meaning behind them that Jisung almost wanted to shy away from her look. She took his hands and the second their skin touched, the potion expert felt something shooting right through him; her powerful, divine magic, stronger than anything he had ever felt. And simultaneously, he saw something in front of his inner eyes; a vision._

** _There was young woman, in a greenish decorated, old room. She held a box in her hands and hid it under the floor, mysteriously covering the obvious hiding place with a similarly greenish carpet. She looked up and sighed, placing a hand on her heart that pulsated softly, a green light emitting from where you’d assume a humans heart to be. There were tears in her eyes when she stood up and walked towards her bed. Her steps were hesitant, so scared and careful, knees shaking and legs wobbly as she bent down to pick up a thick robe. She murmured some things, suddenly disappearing into thin air and reappearing in a room quite similar to the one she had been in previously, robe tightly clutched in her hands as she walked towards the massive bed. Her hands were shaking when she started tying the end of the robe to the bed, opening the window, and positioning herself on the window sill with still frightened legs, pounding heart and nervously trembling lips. A sob escaped her lips when she draped the other end of the robe around her neck and throat, staring down into what seemed to be the most beautiful garden existing. She was high up, the wind cold and the night way too beautiful for what was about to happen; when she closed her eyes and mumbled a silent, »Please forgive me«, before letting her body fall forwards towards the ground…_ **

When Jisung opened his eyes again, the green sky and Kritix were gone – instead, he was sitting in his bed, sweating, and panting heavily. The first few rays of sunlight fell through the splits in his curtains, casting a soft glow onto his tan skin. Jisung looked towards the grandfather clock; half past six in the morning. His heart was pounding so hardly, he felt like his ribcage would burst, the sound of his own heartbeat echoing in his weirdly stuffy ears as he tried to calm his breath. Eyes flickering though the room, the potion expert’s heart skipped a beat once he recognized what he had seen in his dream; Kritix, obviously hiding something in _this exact_ room and jumping into her guaranteed death only minutes later after teleporting herself into what Jisung assumed to be Minho’s chamber now.

He remembered something the Warlock had once told him within the first few nights in the mansion, when Jisung couldn’t sleep and went to Minho’s room almost every night to pass some time and eventually fall asleep.

** _«Legends have it that the goddess of nature used to reside here.«_ **

On trembling legs, Jisung shakily got up from the bed and walked towards the carpet, under which he knew was a secretly hidden hideout. After what had happened between him and a certain Warlock, he had forced himself to lock the door to the secret pathway and put the box in which he had found the key for the door in back into the hideout. It’s not like Jisung thought something bad would happen if he’d use the pathway and move himself up to Minho’s room, but given how absolutely weird the Warlock was acting nowadays, he also didn’t really feel the need to do so.

That didn’t change the fact that the temptation of that damn rusty old key was really luring him in, and he had decided that it was much more easier to just put the whole thing back into the floor, where it probably belonged.

The box was still as beautiful as it had been the first time Jisung found it; golden decorations, a soft, bronze-Bordeaux fabric that was carefully worked onto it-  
Jisung’s choked on his own spit, realising that something was off with the box – he turned and twisted it, suddenly hearing a sound unusual for a box that only held a rusty key, some letter in runic that was barely readable anymore and a tissue with some initials on it. It was much more heavier, actually, and the twisting and turning made it sound like there were some really heavy things in it.

Jisung suddenly felt something weird. The longer he looked at the box, the more he wanted to open it up. He heard a distinct, luring voice in his head, tempting him to open it up and take everything inside of it, to make everything his and to want and want and want…more and more and more.  
His head started throbbing because that voice in his thoughts kept tempting him, but his consciousness refused to give in, fighting against those luring words. While trying to avoid following this strong need to possess everything, he looked passed the box in his hands and stared straight into the hideout – he blinked, thinking for a moment he’d need new glasses or that his eyes suddenly saw doubled. But the second box in the hideout didn’t disappear, no matter how often he tried to blink his vision clear.

His gaze flickered from the box in his hand to the one in the hideout and he needed a full minute to realize something; whatever that thing in his hand was, it wasn’t the box he had found back then. Now that he compared them, they didn’t even look the same.

He swallowed and looked at the box in his hands, the luring voice in his head still whispering sweet temptations into his inner ears. If what he had seen wasn’t Kritix doing something in the past, then what was this thing he was holding in his hands right now…?

Jisung couldn’t take it anymore and decided that he needed to show this to the others this instant. He had a bad feeling about this and even though he felt utterly rude to wake the others up because of that, he summoned Jeongin into his room.

The nine-tailed fox was sleepily rubbing the sleep from his eyes; it was rather unusual for Jeongin to walk around the mansion in his human form but Jisung guessed that being human sometimes must be easier. »Hyung, what is i-…_what is _this magical power?«  
Jeongin looked around, eyes suddenly wide awake and concentration visible on his face. His gaze locked on the box in Jisung’s hands and the fox immediately grabbed it, yanking it out of the magic potion experts hands. He had a panicked look on his face and Jisung registered happily that the voice in his head finally stopped it’s tempting whispers. That didn’t mean he wasn’t confused though and so, he frowned at the fox and said, »What are you panicking over?«

Jeongin held the box to his chest and answered, »Do you have _any_ idea what this is?! Where have you found this?!«  
Honestly, Jisung never, in his entire life, would have thought that Jeongin could shout like this. But there was a first time for everything, right? His frown intensified, gaze quizzically staring at the box in the fox’s hands, »No? I had a dream and…well, to put it short, Kritix put it there…I think? And when I woke up, it was just there…«

The fox opened his mouth to answer something, but instead, they were interrupted by a roaring sound and the whole house shaking furiously.  
Jisung immediately grabbed Jeongin’s arm and dragged him up, the both of them stumbling their way through the mansion. The ground was shaking so badly, everything in Hyunjin’s dear home literally flew around; they almost slipped on a candle holder and Jisung had to hold himself up at the wall more than he actually managed to walk straight ahead.

Eventually, Jeongin told Jisung to _‘hold on tight’_, which the magic potion expert did and within the next second, he could feel his body floating through space. The nine-tailed fox must’ve teleported the two of them to the salon, in which almost everyone else had already assembled. The ground was still shaking and Jisung felt like throwing up (not only because of the teleportation, this time).

Suddenly, the glasses of the windows in the salon burst one after another and the only thing Jisung heard was Hyunjin’s absolutely pissed-off, »What the hell!«.

Just as sudden as the earthquake started, it stopped and for a second, they were all blinded by the early sun shining through the windows – until something blocked it. Or rather someone, mind you.

Jisung squinted his eyes and eventually managed to recognize the silhouette of a man. He jumped down from the window sill he had landed on out of nowhere, graceful steps roaring heavily as every metre he managed to pass on made the ground shake a little bit. His magical power was strong and Jisung could smell the scent of musky earth in his ears.

He stopped right in front of Jeongin and the potion expert, face now clearly visible thanks to the candles in the salon. The stranger had beautiful, tanned skin, round, chocolate eyes and a pointy cute nose. His lips probably would’ve seemed wittily like a cat’s if it wasn’t for the obvious displease on his face and his high cheekbones made him look a lot more frightening. His body was dressed in brown-orangish clothes, a tunic draped over the otherwise naked torso, skin shimmering in a weirdly natural, sparkly way – Jisung needed a few seconds to recognize his pointy ears and the fact that his body was only shimmering because the sun seemed to shine right through his tanned skin; this man was not only a powerful sorcerer, but also a summer-fairy.

His voice was as rich as honey and probably would’ve sounded a lot sweeter if it wasn’t for the scowl on his face, his eyes boring into Jeongin’s fearfully widened ones. He was towering over the fox and Jisung even though he wasn’t that much taller than the both of them.  
»May I ask who allowed you to steal _my Relict_?!«, he asked in a rich voice.

Jisung swallowed and stared back and forth between the box, Jeongin and the unknown man. Well, at least that explained why he had felt so weird while holding the box and why the nine-tailed fox had almost freaked out earlier.

Jeongin did what he was wittily best at; pushing the box back into Jisung’s hands and transforming himself into a fox, small body running over and up onto Hyunjin’s shoulders with a really unnecessary growl (it sounded more like a frightened cat, honestly).

_Thanks for nothing_, Jisung thought, but his attention was directed back onto the unknown (beautiful) man in front of him. He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, his tulip-coloured hair was softly moving around because of the cold wind that came in through the shattered glass, »Well?«  
»I-…uhm…w-who are you?«, Jisung countered as bravely as possible, shrinking a little bit smaller just by the way the other’s whole aura seemed to worsen, his mood obviously dropping.

»_Who I am_?«, he repeated the question and narrowed his eyes, staring into Jisung’s orbs with nothing short but a silent threat, »_I am your worst nightmare_ if you don’t hand me that box this instant, Ranera forgive me.«  
Even before Jisung could answer something, he felt someone pull him back, the box swiftly taken out of his hands and his body securely pulled into the side of someone else, halfway hidden away from the unknown man.  
He didn’t even need to properly look up to know that it was Minho.

The Warlock held the box out to the man, face as emotionless as it had been within the last couple of days and voice just as unbothered to anyone else – but Jisung heard the slight edge his tone had, he saw the way his jaw clenched barely noticeable, felt his grip tighten around the potion expert’s arm.  
»I guess you are one of the Seven Warlocks of Hell», he said calmly and watched the man retreat almost instantly, eyes though never leaving the box in Minho’s hand. Jisung frowned upon realizing that the man very obviously tried to avoid looking at Minho, his whole aura changed instantly; everything that had been dominating, aggressive and superior about him just seconds ago was now replaced by a covering, obviously uncomfortable aura.

He nodded slowly and carefully took the box from Minho’s hands, voice a lot softer than before and eyes still avoiding his gaze, »Yes…«  
Minho’s grip on the box hardened instantly as he pulled the unknown man towards him by the box, face as stoic and emotionless as always when he forced the man to look him in the eyes and said, »Listen, I don’t care _what_ you are or _why_ you’re here but remember this; if I see you _anywhere_ _near_ _Jisung_ ever again, Ranera forgive me, I will haunt you.«  
He didn’t say anything else, didn’t ask for the man’s understanding, Minho’s voice wasn’t even aggressive or particularly frightening. But the stranger nodded instantly, voice trembling as he answered, »U-Understood…«

And just like that, Minho let go of the box and stepped back, dragging Jisung away from the man and dropping him off next to a very unsatisfied glaring Byeonghee. They seemed to have some sort of silent conversation, to which Minho only stared in his void, emotionless way and eventually, ended the staring contest by simply ignoring Byeonghee’s glares.  
Jisung’s skin prickled where Minho had touched him and as soon as he stepped away, he felt…cold.  
Hyunjin – who was still really obviously pissed-off – pointed an accusing finger at the stranger and said, »What makes you think you can just waltz in here and destroy my house! Fix this, like, right now, or you will have to get fixed by Jin!«

Seokjin yawned and rubbed his eyes, didn’t answer anything though.  
Instead, the stranger scoffed, crossing his arms (the box was floating around next to him), but he did what had been asked of him and snapped a finger softly. Within an instant, everything in the house started moving, the broken glass flying back into place and eventually, everything was fixed, as if nothing even happened to begin with.  
»Thank you!«, Hyunjin snapped, though, his _thankfulness_ was very obviously not honest as he turned around with a scowl, Seungmin dutifully patting his back in a bored manner.

Chan, who had been awfully quiet up until now, suddenly gasped loudly and made everyone flinch surprised. The Commandment stepped forward and pointed at the stranger with an excited glint in his eyes, »You are Donghyuck! The Sin of Gluttony and Warlock of Earth!«  
Donghyuck – as his name seemed to be – blinked confused and stared at Chan for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes at him as if he weren’t sure why the latter knew him. Eventually, he stepped back cautiously, »Yes…who are you and how do you know my name…?«  
»Oh you wouldn’t know me. But we’ve met. I know you through Mark Lee«, Chan responded with a smile and all of a sudden, Donghyuck’s carefully trained, untrusting glare shifted into a little bit more relaxed, soft frown, »Mark…? Okay then I guess I can trust you. I don’t know about the squirrel though…»

Jisung felt utterly offended and puffed out his cheeks, »Hey! I’m not a squirrel, I have a name!«  
»You stole my Unholy Relict you _squirrel_!«, Donghyuck responded and Jisung immediately shook his head, »I did not!«  
»Oh really! Then how did you get that, huh?!«, the Warlock asked, and the potion expert shut his mouth into a thin line, not sure what he should answer. Honestly, he didn’t really know how he got that thing either. The only reasonable explanation is, that Kritix put it there in his dreams. But that didn’t make any sense because she jumped down and hung herself later-

A thought crossed Jisung’s mind and he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around to look at Minho and the Warlock only mimicked his stare with void eyes, softly frowning when he only received a stare though. Could it be…? No, Minho would’ve seen that…right?  
»…Was your window open when you woke up…?«, Jisung asked slowly and watched the Warlock’s head tilt in emotionless confusion, »…Yes. But I guess I must’ve left it open before I fell asleep.«

That was enough for Jisung to drop the conversation and turn towards Jeongin with a worried look on his face, »Inn-ie, do me a favour; teleport yourself to Minho’s room and report to me what you see.«  
Jeongin jumped down from Hyunjin’s shoulder, disappearing into a teleportation portal and coming back only seconds later, jumping out of that same portal and landing on Jisung’s shoulder this time, his nine tails playfully brushing against Jisung’s head and back, probably as a form to apologize for cowardly running away earlier, _»The window is open and there is a rope tied to the bed – which is really weird but I doubt that Minho-hyung would’ve noticed that, given how furiously the house had started to shake when he woke up.«_

Jisung swallowed, ignoring Hyunjin who asked Minho what the hell he wanted to do with that robe, to which the Warlock only frowned and shrugged, answering in his monotone voice that he had not tied any robes anywhere before going to bed.  
»It’s not too late yet, Minho«, Taehyung offered carefully, hesitantly patting his shoulder with a sorrowful look in his eyes. Minho stared at him with stone cold eyes, »I didn’t do that.«  
Taehyung wanted to say something along the lines of, _»You don’t have to be ashamed«_, but Jisung cut him off with a silent whisper, »He really didn’t do it.«

Everyone turned to look at him and he swallowed, heart pounding harder, »I-…I had a dream…«  
»A dream. Of course, you’re _always_ dreaming«, Seokjin exclaimed and ignored the glare Namjoon sent his way with a playful tongue poking out towards him.  
Jisung continued, »…Kritix appeared and it was the same scenery it always is; green sky, wide field, Kritix getting attacked by the Plague. But this time, she…she talked to me.«

Felix frowned on his seat next to Changbin, arms loosely hanging from the Werewolf’s shoulders as he tiredly said, »I thought she always talked to you…?«  
»No…«, Jisung denied and shook his head with a frown, »…she usually just screams for help. But in that dream, she talked to me, she actually…looked at me. She knew my name…« He explained to them what had happened in his dreams and what exactly the Goddess had said, voice shaky when he came to the vision, how she hid the box in that hideout in Jisung’s room, how she teleported herself to Minho’s room on the fourth floor and jumped out of the window with the robe tightly tied around her neck.

Donghyuck frowned, »So you’re trying to tell me that a freaking dead Goddess, stole my _Gold of Gluttony_ and hid it in the floor of your bedroom? You expect me to believe that?«  
»I didn’t know that it was _your_ box until you appeared here!«, Jisung defended himself. Donghyuck’s frown intensified, »Okay, let’s say that’s true; but you must’ve felt _something_. You’re just a human, you couldn’t possibly resist the pull of Gluttony while holding onto the box. You must’ve known what it is the second you opened it up, at least subconsciously.«

Jeongin spoke to everyone in their heads, his small paws tabbing rhythmically soothing patterns into Jisung’s sore shoulder muscles,_ »He didn’t open the box though.«_  
»Pardon me?«, Donghyuck said, his frown now replaced by a dumbfounded and unbelieving stare, »Stop talking non-sense, he must’ve freaking opened it. Why do you think am I holding the box in the air behind a protection shield right now? No one can resist that pull once they touched it. You’re an exception, you’re a dead fox.«  
»No, really, I didn’t open it«, Jisung confirmed Jeongin’s statement and at least now, he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He frowned, »W-What?«  
Chan stared at him with wide eyes. »How did you resist the pull of Gluttony…just like that? You must’ve been lured by the Demon of Gluttony to open it up, to take everything and possess more and more…«

The potion expert frowned even more, nodding slowly, »I mean…yes, of course; I heard the temptation in my head. But that doesn’t mean that I opened it? What is so shocking about that?«

Donghyuck laughed unamused, »Shocking is that not even _I_ can touch my own Relict without going mental.«  
»Yes, I saw my Relict _once_ and never again because I’m scared of the temptation«, Namjoon added in a worried tone.

»And? Maybe I can just control myself better?«, Jisung offered cluelessly. Byeonghee stepped in with an equally worried look on his face, »You weren’t that influenced by my powers when I lost it either…«  
Taehyung clinked himself in, »And you didn’t get obsessed with the Song of Sloth like I expected you to, even though you sang it and listened to it probably all your life without even knowing…»

Jisung blinked confused when he felt someone suddenly grabbing his arm, a weird magical power going through him and a thought appearing in his head; _behave_. He stared up at Namjoon with a frown and shook his hand off, »What the hell, stop. You’re making me feel weird…«  
The Commandment of Pacifism stared at him, »How can you still talk back to me? Everyone else would’ve literally obeyed and remained calm by now.«  
He felt someone else grabbing his hand and made eye-contact with Chanyeol, who’s eyes were glowing reddish, another thought appearing in his head; _say it_. Jisung huffed annoyed, »Stop using me as a test object!«  
Chanyeol’s absolutely baffled expression would’ve made him laugh if it wasn’t for Seokjin suddenly saying, »He’s immune against our divine powers.«

He had never whipped his head around to stare at someone this fast, his muscles protesting by cracking loudly as he stared at Seokjin with wide eyes, »I am what now?!«  
Byeonghee pointed an accusing finger at him, »That explains so much holy shit!«  
»Back in Atror, when Veteus controlled you guys«, Seungmin started and pointed at Jisung, Chanyeol and Seokjin slowly, »You hesitated. Everyone else tried to get my throat, hell; even Chanyeol tried to smash my head into pieces! But you didn’t, you stopped even though you could’ve stabbed me, even though you had me cornered…«  
»No, no way!«, Jisung denied and shook his head firmly, »Why would I be _immune_? That doesn’t make any sense, you _healed_ me Seokjin!«

Jin shrugged, »Yes but that’s not my Commandment, healing is my magical affinity. That’s a difference. Pretty sure if I’d use my Commandment on you, you wouldn’t bat an eye.«  
»B-But…when me and Taehyung were fighting a couple of days ago, I felt Namjoon’s power; I calmed down within an instant.«  
Namjoon stared at him, »I didn’t really use it on _you_, I used it on _Taehyung_; you were already calm when I used it. You must’ve listened because you wanted to, not because I forced you to.«

»Great, potion expert is immune. What’s the big deal?«, Changbin said in a ruff voice, repositioning himself to let a dozing Felix be more comfortable on his shoulder. It was a cute sight, honestly, and Jisung couldn’t wait to tease the fairy about it.  
»The _big deal_ is, that _no one_ should be immune against our powers. Even Gods would have to follow our Commandments if we’d use enough force«, Chan explained shortly, his eyes shimmering the same dark-blue they always did.

»Can someone explain to me why it’s normal for you guys that this guy just receives dreams from a dead Goddess?!«, Donghyuck interrupted their confusion and they all turned to look at him with grins on their faces.

Meanwhile Hyunjin groaned, »Great, another person in my mansion – am I a freaking guesthouse?!«

\-----

Jisung felt weird being alone with Changbin. Not necessarily because he was weird or didn’t like him but more because they barely knew each other. And maybe also because Changbin kept staring at him like he was the hardest riddle to solve.

After getting to know Donghyuck and figuring out that apparently, Jisung was immune against Commandments and Sins, they all decided to do some research. Chanyeol took Jin, Namjoon, Minho and Mina to his mansion, where he offered to look for something in his big library at home, Byeonghee and Chan went back to Chan’s mansion, apparently attempting to use some Commandment of Reticence tricks (or something like that, Jisung didn’t understand what they were talking about), while the rest decided to stay in Hyunjin’s mansion and do research in his library.

Jisung had been pushed to spend time with Changbin, he wasn’t exactly sure why though – Felix _literally_ pushed him towards the still not very much known Werewolf with a shy grin on his face and mouthed, _»Please?«_, in his direction as if he absolutely hated the idea of spending time with Changbin. He didn’t hate it, of course. But as mentioned; the Werewolf stared at him non-stop and Jisung’s nerves were way too strained to deal with that right now.

Hence why he eventually stopped walking down the aisle in the library and turned around to Changbin with an irritated huff, »What’s your deal with me, stop staring like that!«  
The werewolf barely even flinched and instead sighed, »…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…«  
»Then stop it, I’m so confused!«, Jisung answered.

Changbin frowned and tilted his head to the side, »I swear I wasn’t trying to irritate you. It’s just…I feel like we’ve met. I swear I’ve seen your face somewhere before, but I can’t pinpoint where or when…«  
»I’m pretty sure we’ve never met though«, Jisung said, »Unless you lived in Orlon, that is. But I highly doubt that because I’d remember you if you did.«  
The frown on Changbin’s face intensified as he seemed to think, wheels visibly turning inside his head with how hard he tried to lay his finger on something, »…This is so weird…I swear I know you from somewhere. Have you never left Orlon? Not once?«

Jisung shook his head, »…No. Not once. I was born in that town and I grew up there and I guess I would’ve died there if it wouldn’t have been for Minho and Jeongin saving my sorry ass.«

A laugh escaped Changbin, deep and raspy just like his voice – it was endearing, really, »Well, I’m glad they saved your sorry ass – I like your company.«  
»You do?«, Jisung asked and tilted his head, scanning the books in the shelf for something useful, »How so? I mean we barely talked.«  
The Werewolf hummed and copied Jisung, searching for books on the shelf in front of the one Jisung was looking at, »I’ve met many people…humans, magical creatures, werewolves…I’m pretty good at rating them, at figuring out how they think. You have…an aura. Something light and beautiful that most people don’t have. I don’t know how to explain it properly, but it seems like your heart is glowing or some shit.«

His heart is glowing _<strike>(or some shit)</strike>_. Without really wanting to, Jisung immediately thought about the Bastrath that said something about his heart being so _‘full of light’_. And then his thoughts wandered off to that double of his, which he had seen in that weird grey landscapes back when he was stuck in a mind of chaos; his double’s heart had been missing.  
Jisung cleared his throat and attempted to change the topic, »You’re a werewolf, right? What’s it like to be a werewolf?«

Changbin sighed, »Honestly? I hate it.« His voice was layered with a tiredness Jisung would’ve never expected from the wolf, his face a clear reflection of what he was thinking about.  
»How so? I thought werewolves are…proud creatures«, Jisung said and frowned, watching Changbin close a book he obviously deemed interesting enough.

»Yeah, of course…Werewolves are proud beings, and our abilities are pretty cool I guess. But living as one is only beneficial when you’re born into a nice pack. Wolves are family animals – we need a pack to survive. And if we don’t have that…we’re lost«, Jisung watched Changbin’s eyes flicker sadly, his gaze involuntarily dropping to where he knew was a burned pack mark.  
The wolf laughed unhappily, »Ah yes, you must’ve seen it – I was excommunicated from my pack.«  
Jisung read the description of a book and shook his head unconsciously, putting it back into his spot with a frown on his face. »May I ask…why?«

If Changbin was uncomfortable with that question, he didn’t show it. He merely shrugged and responded, »I can’t go into any details for…personal reasons. But let’s just say I broke a rule a few years ago and the pack never forgave me for it…«  
»What rule…?«, Jisung asked, generally interested in the etiquette of a werewolf pack. Changbin picked a bluish coloured book and glanced back at Jisung with a pissed-off look on his face – he seemed to be angry at the memory though, not at the potion expert.  
»I saved someone I shouldn’t have saved, so they…excommunicated me when I was barely ten years old.«

Jisung wished he wouldn’t relate as much as he did. Of course, he wasn’t excommunicated by anyone and he didn’t wander around, marked as a kicked out werewolf. But he lost both of his parents pretty early and knew what it felt like to live alone. Changbin though must’ve had it worse; Jisung at least had neighbours who cared about him, Seungmin and his parents who helped him out whenever and however they could, friends of his late mother who always supported him by gifting him firewood, inviting him over to eat when he was still too young to cook something himself and offering him to work for his vegetables and meat when he couldn’t open his pub on his own yet. Changbin must’ve pretty much wandered around the world alone, people either avoiding him or knowing exactly what he was.

»Don’t look at me like that«, Changbin said and smiled warmly, »My life wasn’t easy but I’m not the only one who suffered a lot. You’re a magic potion expert, right? I guess you suffered the same amount as me, if not worse.«  
Honestly, Jisung didn’t like to judge pain and compare suffering – not having an easy life meant something different for everyone and just because Changbin wasn’t a magic potion expert, that didn’t mean that Jisung’s life was that much harder or that much more worthy to pity.  
But he nodded slowly, »I mean…I wasn’t aware of my magical power because of a defect I was born with. I never used magic until Hyunjin healed me with a Prayer and also fixed that defect of mine. I grew up as a normal human. My mother was the one who suffered.«

Changbin scowled and opened the book in his hands, »Let me guess, freaking Temple made her life hell. I hate these guys with all my heart-…«, his hatred-speech was interrupted by the blue book suddenly splashing water at his face, a weird flying fish with legs jumping out of it and laughing evilly as it ran away from them. Jisung and Changbin stared at each other, the wolf shaking his head furiously (probably a wolfish instinct), water splashing everywhere because of that.  
They could hear Hyunjin cursing loudly in the distance, »Who fucking let that ugly ass water spirit out of my perfect confinement?!«

The two culprits turned their heads towards each other with a sheepish grin and moved to get that damn spirit back inside the book.

It was utter chaos: the damn fish spirit with legs was faster than anyone of them. Eventually, Jeongin transformed back into a fox and ran after it, to which the fish spirit started squealing hysterically, the two of them knocking over shelves and piles of books, desks, and chairs. Everywhere the fish spirit ran past, there was a slippery trail of water following him and they all slipped on that while trying to catch the spirit more often than not. In the end, they managed to catch the fish because of Chan, who had suddenly appeared in the library with Byeonghee next to him, catching the fish spirit and fixing everything with just the snap of his fingers. To his baby-like coos, fingers pitifully caressing the shaking fish spirit, Donghyuck summoned a sword and commented that he’d, quote, _»Fucking eat sushi tonight«._ They figured that Donghyuck didn’t like being wet, apparently.

Chan had sent the fish spirit back to where he belonged – the book – and sealed it off, telling Hyunjin he’d keep the spirit at his own mansion. Jisung doubted he had ever seen Hyunjin that happy.

Now, they were seated at the big table in Hyunjin’s library, Byeonghee using his fire magic to dry everyone’s wet appearances.  
»Did you find something?«, Seungmin asked while rolling his eyes at Hyunjin, who started to coo at his reading glasses in total awe.  
Chan sighed and shook his head, »Unfortunately; no. But I figured out that Byeonghee likes being cornered.«  
Given how red Byeonghee’s cheeks suddenly turned, Jisung figured he didn’t need to know the details of that and therefore swiftly changed the subject, »We didn’t find anything either; not like I know what exactly we’re looking for.«

Felix, who had accidentally freezed half of the library when he tried to help catch the fish spirit, shrugged unknowingly, hugging Jisung’s waist tightly, »Maybe you’re just that cool and that’s why divine magic can kiss your ass.«  
A laugh escaped Jisung’s lips as he nuzzled his cheeks into Felix’s and cooed involuntarily, enjoying the warmth Felix emitted even though he was a winter fairy.

»Speaking of which, why aren’t you two at each other’s throats?«, Chan asked and pointed back and forth between Felix and Donghyuck.  
The summer-fairy tilted his head to the side and frowned, »Why should we? He’s the crown prince of the winter fairies, I don’t have any rights to be at his throat.«  
»Yeah but I thought that most fairies don’t like male heirs to the throne and that the summer-fairies want to take over the fairy woods?«, Hyunjin said and earned a slap from Seungmin, noticing that Felix’s mood dropped almost instantly.

The winter-fairy nodded slowly, burying his face more into Jisung’s neck, »It’s not like there probably still is a winter kingdom to rule over so I guess you don’t have to lie to me about anything, Donghyuck…«  
Donghyuck blinked and uncrossed his arms, eyes locking with Felix’s and voice filled with that rich honey tune and so much honest warmth as he answered, »I’d be honoured to welcome you as the next king of the winter-fairies and when this all – whatever this mess is, exactly – is over, I will help you get back what is rightfully yours, Your highness.«

Jisung felt Felix’s arms tighten around his waist and positioned his chin on the fairy’s head softly, rubbing soothing circles into his back. The fairy whimpered softly and nodded eventually, voice hoarse from held back tears as he answered, »Thank you…«

»While were at it; do you think Ranera is really…dead?«, Changbin asked in a worried tone and frowned, opening his arms to welcome Felix, who’d crawled over to him and sat down on his lap, face nuzzled into his chest and arms tightly wrapped around the wolf. Jisung internally cooed again (Felix was so adorable) but continued to listen to Changbin, »I mean…you know, it seems…impossible…«

Chan mirrored the frown on Changbin’s face, »I know what you mean…the last time I spoke to her was about almost six months ago. I usually spoke to her almost every week and it feels so weird that she is supposed to be…dead.«  
»That thought makes me feel uncomfortable, honestly«, Seungmin added and shuddered softly, »We prayed to her all the time in the temple, it was my highest duty as priest to worship Ranera. The sheer imagination of her not…being here anymore is terrifying.«

Jisung exhaled softly, »I wonder what happened to her. And why…«  
Jeongin perked up on his place on Hyunjin’s shoulder, jumping onto the table between them, his tails swinging around excitedly and ears standing up straight, _»Master, I just had an idea!«_  
Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at his loyal companion and allowed him to speak further, Jeongin jumping around on the table, _»What if no book can give us the answers to our problems! Jisung said Kritix told him he must do something for her – but he never found out what exactly! There must be a reasons she lured Gluttony to us and why she showed this vision to him!«_

»I mean, yes, obviously«, Jisung agreed, a sigh leaving his lips, »But the only person knowing what exactly she meant…is Kritix herself.«  
Byeonghee nodded softly, »And she’s dead so we can’t talk to her. We also can’t summon her to ask anything since she’s a punished Goddess. The dreams in which she appears aren’t long enough for Jisung to be able to really ask important questions and actually get an answer from her; she usually dies before that happens.«

The nine-tailed fox nodded along and then jumped onto Jisung’s head, _»No one who’s still alive knows what happened back then. Means we’ll just have to ask someone who knows her longer than we do!«_

They all stared at Jeongin confused, eventually realizing what the small fox was talking about; of course, many gods were dead. But thankfully, they all knew one God who wasn’t dead yet…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay look  
i know  
this is confusing af  
but i swear it'll get better  
and also, donghyuck is like such a nice character and i just had to do those changlix moments and byeongchan is confirmed and i just love some fluff okay i needed that fhiofnwfnwnfwnf
> 
> other than that - did you like it? i'm pretty sure you guys have some questions, some theories and some spicy tea :D  
i may have some delays regarding answering comments rn cause i'm working and like it's a lil time consuming lololol but i'll try my best to answer...evetually-
> 
> i know that the story may be a little bit off right now and there are so many things that seem unnecessary and like fillers but they really are not. Please bear with the informative chapters a little longer >< it'll be worth it uwu
> 
> as always, if you have any questions, messages or just something else to say, feel free to do so in the comment section ><
> 
> other than that, thank you very much for reading!  
stay healthy uwu  
author-nim <33


	28. amnesia potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all get ready for a freaking bomb  
this is the chapter you guys have been waiting for! Well...one of them LMAOO
> 
> enjoy it~

**Amnesia Potion;  
Forgetting things is normal – though, this potion induces more than just forgetting to buy some eggs on the market. The Amnesia Potion can be used in various different ways, but the effect is more or less always the same, once consumed by someone, it’ll remove memories as if they never even existed in the first place. You can either give it to someone and make that someone forget as much as the potion magically allows to or use a magic tool to control what exactly that someone needs to forget. The Amnesia Potion used to be very frequent and often used by everyone; today, it is said that the Guards of Atror still use them for mysterious occasions. Some people say that the Temple also uses it to manipulate its followers.  
For a detailed description about the required magic tool, turn to the end of the book, chapter ‘Amnesia Tool’.**

In all honesty, Yoongi looked as pissed-off as no one had ever seen him. The fact that Jimin seemed to have the time of his life though, meant that whatever it was that destroyed his mood, it probably didn’t really have anything to do with them. Maybe they made it worse…but they weren’t the cause.  
Jimin’s angelic features turned into a wicked smile as soon as Taehyung asked why Yoongi glared like this. »He is mad because I denied him kisses for the last week.«  
»Why would you do that?«, Jin asked and stifled a laugh when Yoongi very childishly huffed but didn’t say anything. The angel smiled innocently, though, there was nothing innocent about his answer, »Because it’s funny to see how easily I can tell a god what to do.«

Jisung halfway expected Yoongi to get mad again, but instead, the God just sighed and ignored Jin’s amused teasing, almost as if he were used to it. »Anyways«, Yoongi grumbled, »You said that you’d need my help?«  
Hyunjin nodded and carefully patted Jeongin’s fur, the fox sitting on his master’s lap while making soft purring sounds, obviously satisfied with the love he received, »You Gods can communicate with each other, right?«

The God shrugged, »I guess if we’d care enough about each other, we would, yes. But I for myself haven’t talked to anyone but Ednera and occasionally Zotuna in a long time. Why?«  
»So that means you can also communicate with the dead gods?«, Namjoon asked and Yoongi nodded again, explaining himself; »They aren’t really dead – they lost their human appearance, their physical form on earthland. But their souls and divine presence are still here. That’s why they can still choose Commandments and Sins and sometimes speak to their chosen ones. They can’t do that often – they are living in another dimension after all and the divine pretty much blocks their abilities so they can’t just stay here as ghosts or something like that. But yes, I can communicate with dead gods.«

Yoongi hesitated and frowned, »Though, I as well can’t reach Ranera or Ednera, if that’s what you’re trying to ask of me. They completely disappeared – I don’t know what exactly happened to them.«  
»It’s not about them«, Hyunjin responded, »We were wondering if you talked to Kritix ever since she…you know. Died.«  
A dark shadow casted itself over the God’s eyes. »No, not since Ranera excommunicated her and forbade all of us to even mention her ever again. Kritix and a handful of other Gods were punished for being one of the reasons the Great War between Heaven and Hell happened.«  
Seokjin frowned, »Is that true though? Was it really their fault…? Jimin said that if anyone was to be blamed, it should be her Majesty.«  
»I don’t know. I don’t care«, Yoongi answered coldly, »I survived the war and frankly, I don’t care who was responsible for it. It’s bad enough it happened in the first place.«

It was silent for a few seconds in which everyone seemed to think about the information.

Eventually, Yoongi asked why they’d need Kritix in the first place. Jisung explained to him what happened, introduced Donghyuck to him while being at it, and finished his explanation with a frown on his face, »…I just don’t know what she wants from me. Why would she cross her own boundaries just to show me how she hung herself after luring Gluttony to us? That just doesn’t make any sense…«  
Yoongi remained silent, obviously thinking, face emotionless. He looked up and straight into Jisung’s eyes, not saying anything for a long time. »…You said that you guys assume you’re immune against everything that’s divine…?«

Jisung shrugged unsure, »I mean, that’s what the others think – but I am not convinced…«  
»…Can I be completely honest with you?«, Yoongi asked and Jisung nodded hesitantly. He didn’t like the mood that was weighting down on them right now and he also didn’t like the way not only the God of Time’s expression remained cold, but also Jimin’s grin had disappeared and instead had been replaced by a concentrated, serious gaze. »I want to apologize first things first, because I did something I wasn’t supposed to do without your consent. As the God of Time, I am the holder of everyone’s time glass – it’s basically every second of your life and I can use those to travel back in your lifetime and see things. When I was a young god, I used to do that a lot. But something that I learned about you made me curious.«

The potion expert merely nodded, not particularly bothered by the fact that Yoongi travelled back in time in his life. There wasn’t much to see in his dull life anyways.  
Yoongi continued, »The Bastrath. You were attacked by it, said you’d feel like you knew that thing and Minho had gotten injured by it as well to send you a message. I thought that’s weird because Bastraths are…assassins. They don’t act on their own behalf, people summon and send them off to do something for them. And I thought it’s weird that a Bastrath would try to get you when you claimed to have lived a normal life in a small town somewhere in Enos.«

The God hesitated, but eventually said, »What is your first memory…?«  
Jisung frowned, »Huh?« He really needed a little bit to think about that. Honestly, he didn’t remember much from his childhood. He could barely recall that his father had been gone one day. He remembered the Temple regularly checking on his mother. His childhood was basically a big black spot with some colourful, influencing situations that just kind of stuck with him. But other than that…there was nothing. His very first memory…  
»…I think the first memory I can recall is my first day in school with Seungmin. I think I was…maybe seven back then?«, he answered truthfully.   
Yoongi stared silently. Eventually, he said, »…So you don’t remember anything before that? Only vivid memories of certain situations?«

He nodded as an answer, frown intensifying, »Why? What did you see in my timeline?«  
Yoongi clearly hesitated now. There was something in his eyes, something weirdly dark and worried, as if he really didn’t want to say what he was going to say. His voice was laced with something similar to fear when he finally responded, »…I started with going back to when you were five years old. That was when your father disappeared. Your parents had a terrible fight. But because it was your memory, I couldn’t hear what it was about. So I went back further, to when you were four…«

Jisung remembered Seungmin telling him about how apparently, he had almost died once, how they had to travel to his grandmother who saved his life by being a connector. He shivered and continued listening to the God of Time: »…You did so many…weird things. You walked around at night, you were mumbling things and I needed so long to realize that the things you were mumbling…were incantations. You actually spooked me out. And then, one night, you were sleep walking into some woods. And that was when that Bastrath attacked you. It dragged you through the woods and you didn’t scream, you weren’t even awake. That thing almost got you if it wouldn’t have been for someone hitting it with a spell.«

Jisung swallowed and tried to hide his trembling hands, »A-…a spell? Who?«  
Yoongi shrugged, »I don’t know. It was strong magic – whatever or whoever it was, that someone saved your life back then. Minutes later, your father came running into the woods, finding your body. You were almost dead. I don’t understand how you survived that, honestly. Seungmin’s parents drove you and your parents to your grandmother quite far away. She saved you with her abilities as a connecter. And when you woke up, just like right now…you didn’t remember a single thing. And your parents just…didn’t care. As if it were normal, as if they expected you to forget all of that.«

Great, so whatever Seungmin told him about that night was true. Which also explained to Jisung why that Bastrath told him they had met – because they _did_. That didn’t explain why Jisung couldn’t remember though. »Then why…why can’t I recall all of that? Because, by all means of Ranera, Yoongi, I don’t remember any of this. It never happened for me.«  
»…I tried to figure out why you can’t remember. I asked Jimin if being treated by a connector could delete memories, but he said no. I am convinced someone made you forget it. And I wanted to know who and why. But then I was just…kicked out of your timeline.«  
Jisung frowned, »You were what?«  
»It was weird«, Jimin nodded along with a serious voice, »Yoongi opened his eyes all of a sudden, saying that something forcefully dragged him out of your timeline. When he attempted to get back, your time glass just…shattered.«

Jisung swallowed the lump in his throat. It shattered? Just like that? But…why?  
So many things were going on in his head and he needed to have some sort of explanation for at least one of those many questions, »Why are you telling me all of this? I was fine not knowing that. _So what_ if I almost died?«  
The God shook his head firmly, »Because it wasn’t the first time and I’m certain it also won’t be the last time. Those hellhounds that ran around Enos? I am convinced they were looking for _you_. They pretty much disappeared when one of them bit you and you almost died then but how convenient that Ednera dragged your soul out and Hyunjin used a prayer to save you. Then in Atror? You hesitated, Seungmin said so himself. You guys managed to get out because you weren’t fully under Veteus’ control. The Bastrath in Hyunjin’s mansion? You were food for it, really, you said it almost got you – but in the exact second you were done for, the lights went on and the others found you. Someone is trying to get rid of you but something higher won’t allow that – I don’t know who, maybe some God, maybe just luck, maybe even the Divine itself. But something is off about you and the fact that even I can’t figure it out means that there are higher powers involved. You should’ve died long ago, Jisung and yet…you’re still here. So whatever Kritix wanted to show you, I think it’s connected to all of that.«

_You should’ve died long ago_. It was weird to Jisung to hear all of that because he had said those exact words to Felix not too long ago. Jisung was aware of those things; that something was wrong with him, that something was off about his life, about his whole existence to begin with. He survived so many things, things that other people die of every day. He stared into the air for a long time, for now ignoring the others discussing about that matter. That something was blocking his memories was pretty clear by now, Jisung was sure of it. He remembered that one time he had touched the message his mother had scribbled into the potion book, the time when a memory had hit him out of nowhere; a memory of him lying in a carriage, his head positioned on his mother’s lap and both of his parents staring down on him with worried expressions. That must’ve been a memory of that night, a memory about how he had almost died.  
He took a deep breath, thoughts circling around that double of his – the double with a missing heart.

_Someone is trying to get rid of you…_

Yeah, okay. But…why? Let’s say those things Yoongi saw really happened – and they probably did, considering the God of Time literally travelled back in time – why would that mean someone wants to get rid of him? Why would Jisung be the target of hellhounds, of high class demons? Why would he be immune against divine magic, against Commandments and Sins?  
He stopped and looked up at Seokjin, »Something bothers me«, he said and gained the Wizard’s attention, »You guys said I’m immune against divine magic. Let’s say that’s true – then how could Hyunjin save me with a Prayer?«

Silence.

Everyone stopped and stared, obviously dumbfounded and unsure.  
It didn’t make sense. Yoongi was right; something was off with Jisung, something definitely was weird. But no one had an explanation what exactly. Nothing should be immune against divine magic, no gods, no angels, no living creature, not even high class demons. Nothing. Then why would _Jisung_ be?

Jimin suddenly stood up, walking towards Jisung’s seat, and stopping right in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face, »Can I try something?«  
The potion expert merely shrugged and nodded, to which the angel’s eyes squinted dangerously. He sat down in front of Jisung, warm hands softly caressing his knees, »It won’t be nice, Jisung. It will hurt. A lot. I will forcefully enter your head.«  
»His head?«, Namjoon questioned confused, »Why would you do that?«  
»Because his memories are blocked. And if Yoongi can’t snoop around in his past, snooping around in his head is the only option. His memories aren’t _gone_, they’re just _shadowed_. I can find them. But it’ll hurt, that’s why I’m asking; are you okay with that?«, the angel explained himself.

Honestly, Jisung wasn’t sure about all of this. He knew that some things were better left unknown. But it felt weird, everything did. And he somehow felt like whatever it was that someone tried to desperately hide in his head…it was important.  
Which was why he nodded slowly, »Do as you please.«

Jimin stared into his eyes for a few seconds longer before eventually nodding, stepping back a little bit. He ordered Jisung to lean back and try to relax. Jisung could see Jimin exposing his beautiful, dark wings, his appearance as mesmerizing and holy as always. The angel closed his eyes and gathered magical power in his hands, inaudible incantations leaving his lips. When he opened his eyes again, his hands were glowing in a weird, black light. His voice was weirdly strained, »You can still back out, Sung-ie.«  
Jisung shook his head and closed his eyes.

He felt Jimin stepping closer, a weird feeling surrounding him as soon as he felt the angel’s black glowing hands on his head. At first, it was okay – just a cold, vibrating sensation.

But then, all of a sudden, it felt like someone tried to cut his head open. He couldn‘t help the pained noise that escaped his lips, body immediately tensing up. He could distantly hear Jimin telling him to try and remain calm, and Jisung tried, he really did. The coldness spread in his whole body and for a second, it was soothing the pain – but just as fast as it was gone, the pain came flooding back in. He could almost feel Jimin’s power reaching out for his mind, a part of his subconsciousness that had not been touched by anyone in a long time. The further Jimin reached, the worse got the pain. Not necessarily because it hurt that much – the pain itself just felt…uglier by the second. Like someone ripping your hair out, like cutting your nails too deeply, like slowly peeling of the skin at your fingers. It hurt in the worst way. Jisung wasn’t really aware of his surroundings anymore but he knew for a fact that he definitely didn’t lay still anymore. It seemed to be when Jimin finally reached his destination when a numbing pain shoot straight through Jisung. It hurt so badly, he felt his heart stop for a few seconds, his blood running cold, his thoughts stopping. He knew that he had screamed out, but he couldn’t hear his friends telling Jimin to stop.

Instead he saw something; a memory…

_Jisung sat on a table, his mother playing with his hands. He was confused and didn’t understand why he was here. But considering his mother had a warm smile on her lips, he decided not to worry too much. The door at the other side of the room opened and a man stepped inside, a young boy, maybe two or three years older than Jisung, tightly clutching onto his hand. He had a small body and adorable bunny teeth. Jisung glanced at him and smiled widely, the boy hesitantly smiled back but remained standing next to the man.  
The man looked quite similar to the boy, a lot more mature though, he had dark hair, pale skin and the same nose, round eyes just like his son, as it seemed. His voice was warm when he announced his arrival and Jisung watched his mother’s smile falter for a few seconds. She didn’t turn around to the man though and continued playing with her son’s hands, humming a sweet lullaby.  
»Miss Han. I hope you don’t mind my son, his mother died a few days ago and he hasn’t left my side ever since…«, the man said.  
Jisung’s mother merely shrugged but continued to ignore the man.  
»…I am aware that you do not want to be here but I’d really appreciate it if you could listen to me, at least acknowledge my presence, Miss Han«, the man said sharply. Finally, Jisung’s mother stopped humming. She kept her son’s hands in hers and still didn’t turn around, but her silence indicated that she was listening.  
Her voice was off when she answered after some time, »My answer is no.«  
The man released a sigh, »Miss Han, I know that your possibilities are very limited but you have to think of the consequences-…« - »Consequences?«, his mother interrupted. Jisung flinched when she turned around to the man. He didn’t see her face, but he knew from how cold her voice sounded that she was mad. When his parents fought, her voice had the same edge to it; cold, calculated, serious, distant. »Would you do any of those things if I’d offer them to you? This isn’t a game, Mr. Jeon. We’re talking about a life.«  
Jisung’s attention was consumed by the boy, who finally dared to step away from his father. He walked up next to the table Jisung was sitting on, jumping onto it with a lot of struggles and eventually settled down next to him with a shy smile and rosy cheeks, »I’m Jeongguk. And you?«  
Jisung smiled brightly, »Jisung!« The boys started talking and playing around, both startled away from each other when a high voice suddenly exclaimed, »Don’t touch him!«  
They both flinched, Jeongguk letting himself get carried away from Jisung by a woman with blonde hair and a doll-like face, probably still too shocked to protest. Jisung pouted sadly when his new friend got carried away. The blonde woman turned to look at Jisung and his mother, a disgusted glare in her eyes as she spat, »Get that monster away from my nephew!«  
Mr. Jeon gasped and Jisung let himself get hugged protectively by his mother, though, he wasn’t quite sure why. His father had also called him that a lot – a _monster_. But Jisung wasn’t quite sure what it meant or why they called him that.  
»Runa, stop. He is just a child, don’t call him a monster-…« - »And why would I not?! That kid can barely be called human, I don’t want it anywhere near me! Get rid of that…that…_thing_!«, the woman interrupted and walked off with a loudly protesting Jeongguk in her arms, door slamming shut behind her.  
Jisung didn’t understand why his mother caressed his hair and mumbled apologies and silent _‘It’s okays’_. He just let himself be patted. It was silent for a few minutes, until Mr. Jeon eventually stepped closer and carefully put a hand on his mother’s shoulder, »…Are you sure you don’t want me to do it? It doesn’t hurt, Saebom. It’ll be like he fell asleep.«  
Saebom – Jisung’s mother – let go of her son and looked back at Mr. Jeon with sad eyes. She looked at her son and Jisung tilted his head confused, a warm smile on his face to cheer his mommy up. His mother couldn’t help but mirror the smile softly, turning back to Mr. Jeon.  
»…There is so much light in his heart, Sang. So much love and warmth and light. He isn’t a monster. I won’t let him become one. So please, I beg you…don’t take him away from me«, she said, her voice straining at the end, »He is only a boy. He doesn’t even know why people are so disgusted by him, why everyone calls him a monster. He makes me smile, he is caring, he helps injured animals…there’s nothing evil about him.«  
Mr. Jeon looked at Jisung, stepping forward slowly and sighing. Jisung offered the man a smile as well, round eyes glancing up at him, »Can I play with Jeongguk some more?«, he said and watched Mr. Jeon’s face turning into a sad smile. He ruffled Jisung’s black hair, »Maybe next time, okay?«  
And Jisung accepted that.  
Mr. Jeon looked at Saebom and nodded slowly, »…I can stop his magic from developing further by killing it. But it will rise again. He will always exist as a two-sided coin, Saebom. That’s all I can do for you.«  
And Saebom nodded slowly, watching Mr. Jeon doing his magic on her son, the natural black hair slowly turning blonde as the darkness vanished. Jisung didn’t feel any different. But his mother cried so happily and hugged Mr. Jeon so joyfully, that he couldn’t help but be happy as well.  
As they walked out of the old house, Jisung tugged at Mr. Jeon’s hand and looked up at him. The man tilted his head to the side softly, asking what he wanted and Jisung said, »The evil voice in my head stopped. Thank you, Sir.«  
Jisung didn’t understand why. But when Mr. Jeon smiled, there was a lonely tear sliding down his cheeks as he said, »You are very much welcome, Jisung-ie.«_

The memory disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. Jisung felt numb for a few seconds, unsure where he was. He opened his eyes, blinking the blurry vision away, slowly recognizing his surroundings. He couldn’t have been out for long, Jimin’s black glowing hands just now distancing themselves from his head as the angel dropped to his knees panting. It seemed like whatever the angel did, it wasn’t only painful for Jisung, but also extremely tiring for Jimin.  
Jisung tried to sit up but he really couldn’t feel a single muscle in his body. He tried to speak but only a tired whimper left his lips. The memory he had seen right now was very much present in his head and the more he tried to avoid thinking about it, the more he did. His head hurt and he knew that he was crying because of it but really, he couldn’t do much about it.

His ears felt stuffed and everything sounded dull to his ears, but he could hear Jin when he softly touched his shoulder and said, »Sung-ie? Are you with me?«  
Jisung tried to nod slowly, not sure if he succeeded until the Commandment nodded as well and mumbled an unsure, »Good…«  
Jin’s hands were warm when he touched Jisung’s forehead, »I will start a healing process on you, you will fall asleep because of it. You need to rest, okay, Sung-ie?«  
Again, Jisung only weakly nodded. He saw Seokjin nod as well before feeling the magic getting to him, warmth flooding his body, the numb coldness in his muscles slowly fading away and his head feeling heavy as he finally closed his eyes and this time, drifted off into a dreamless sleep, the last thing he saw being two worriedly shining, magenta eyes…

\-----

Lonely. Cold. Empty. Numb.

These were only a few words to describe how Minho felt. Everything seemed grey to him and everything was either the same or nothing at all. Everything…but Jisung. He couldn’t quite pinpoint why, but he was highly bothered by the fact that Jisung was suffering like this. He realized within the last couple of days that everything involving Jisung bothered him a lot more than it probably should. He got unreasonably mad when Donghyuck threatened him and before he knew it, he was stepping in between, pulling the young man towards him, not letting go of his arm. Distancing himself from him felt like torture and again, Minho wasn’t quite sure why.

He tried to remain calm when Jisung had started crying and screaming, realizing that it was harder than expected and he really just didn’t know why.  
Though something inside of him just snapped as soon as Jin used a healing spell on him and Jisung fell asleep, body falling limb as his mind shut down. Minho knew his eyes were glowing and he really tried to stop staring at the boy like he did but he couldn’t help it.  
Changbin slowly lifted Jisung up, Seungmin following Jin to the infirmary together with Jimin who got up with Felix’s help, the fairy helping Jimin walk.

Minho was worried. And when he realized that he was worried, something in his chest starting hurting so badly that he couldn’t stifle the grunt that escaped his lips. He was in pain, so much pain. And yet, he knew it was nothing compared to what Jisung just felt. He felt something wet trailing down his cheeks and it was when he realized that he in fact was crying, that something in his head just clicked.  
Like a switch, a switch he never actually pressed himself.  
Suddenly everything came flooding back to him; memories of everyone around him that didn’t bother him just seconds ago and now, they were just…so much. They meant so much, Minho _felt_ so much.

He looked up straight into Chanyeol’s red glowing eyes and it was in that moment he realized what was actually going on. He blinked, once, twice, and then cursed, »For fucks sake!«  
Everyone besides Chanyeol flinched and Hyunjin stared at Minho with so much confusion, the Warlock wondered for how long he had been out of it.  
Byeonghee released a sigh next to him and said, »Finally, thank you Chanyeol for doing whatever the hell you did, I was getting fed up with this lying and hiding and watching.«  
Hyunjin pointed an accusing finger at Minho, »I knew it! You son of a-…you turned them off! You turned your emotions off, you _asshole_!«  
During his speech, Hyunjin had started to hit Minho pretty hardly, to the point he eventually pushed Hyunjin away with an annoyed, »Stop! That hurts you dramatic ass bitch!«  
»_I am_ dramatic?! I didn’t turn of my feelings because I sucked my lover’s tongue!«, Hyunjin snapped back but sealed his mouth shut once he caught Minho’s displeased glare. Honestly, Minho wasn’t even surprised Hyunjin knew about their (accidental?) kiss.  
»What woke you up?«, Namjoon asked and Minho averted his eyes towards Chanyeol silently.

The Commandment of Truth huffed, »You were getting on my nerves. And I really didn’t do much – I guess you witnessing Jimin torturing the memories out of Jisung was almost enough for you to turn your emotions back on without me having to do anything at all. I just gave your subconsciousness the last kick of honesty.«  
Minho scowled, »Fucking bitch…« - »A _fucking bitch_ who will throw some truths into your face«, Chanyeol answered and Minho grunted, getting ready for a long speech.

_A very_ _long speech_, because Chanyeol took a deep breath before starting, »I don’t fucking care what you promised or not, but I’ve seen you walking around us for long enough. You know things, you know _so_ _many_ fucking things, especially involving Ranera. I know for a fact that you were the last person who talked to her Majesty before she disappeared and that was when everything started going downhill in Ifith. Your ego trip is over. I’ve seen enough. You will tell us what happened that day when you got arrested in Atror, even if I’ll have to use my Commandment on you, I don’t care, I’ll even get the Mirror of Truth. For how long are you planning to hide what you truly are because it isn’t really working.«

Minho waited a few seconds to make sure Chanyeol was really done ranting, releasing a tired sigh, and rubbing his temples aggressively. He had so many things that he had been lying about and he knew that everyone was aware of his lies. To be honest, he really wanted to let it all out.

He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, recognizing Hyunjin next to him with a sincere, warm look in his eyes, »It’s enough, Minho. Whatever you were trying to do alone, stop it. You’re hurting so much. No more lies, no more escaping and no more dealing with everything on your own. Please…»  
Minho was pretty sure that the only reason he finally caved was _Hyunjin_. Just Hyunjin being himself, with all of his sincerity and caring nature. He was fed up with it, fed up with dealing with this shit on his own, done with those shitty secrets and finished with hiding.  
He couldn’t help but sob when Hyunjin grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, softly caressing his hair, shushing his cries with his warm voice. It was exactly like back then, when Minho had cried and Hyunjin embraced him on those streets in Atror.  
»I tried to resist and stop my powers, Jin-ie«, he whimpered and Hyunjin nodded softly, fingers combing through his dark hair, »I know, Min. I know.«  
»I didn’t want that stupid fucking divination but Ranera just gave it to me and I didn’t know what to do because from then on, everything just happened and I lost control«, he continued. Hyunjin nodded again, his hands kept rubbing soft patterns into his back as Minho cried some more. He sniffled and cursed, »I hate those Gods, no offence Yoongi.«

Yoongi snorted, »None taken, I hate most of them as well.«  
»And I hate divinations, seriously, they suck dick so hardly, they suck at sucking dick«, he sniffled again and felt Hyunjin’s chest rumble softly from his silent chuckling.  
Byeonghee frowned and said, »Why can you tell us about the divination now, though?«

Chan squished Byeonghee’s cheeks (for whatever reason) and answered, »Because he did what the Divine asked of him – he fulfilled his task.«

Minho nodded slowly, »I’m not entirely sure how or why but I guess you’re right.«  
He continued to sniffle and glared at Donghyuck, who flinched away and hid behind Namjoon instantly, »By the way, my threat was accurate, and it still is – touch a single hair on Jisung’s head and I will end you.«  
»Rude bitch«, Donghyuck mumbled but nodded slowly.

A couple more minutes went by Minho mostly just crying his heart out on Hyunjin’s shoulder. Eventually, he calmed down, accepting the tissue Chanyeol offered him (not without threatening all of them to shut the hell up about him, crying like a baby).

Minho decided that he will wait for the full explanation about the divination and what had happened to Ranera until everyone was together so he wouldn’t have to tell it twice. They also figured that whatever Jimin and Jisung had seen in the hidden memories would be important as well, so they ditched that serious conversation for now and decided to talk about something else.  
Not like Minho liked that conversation more, but he figured that he didn’t really have much of a choice at this point.

»So just to…make this clear«, Mina said softly, her cheeks turning red when everyone looked at her. She cleared her throat embarrassed and continued, »…Jisung and the others don’t know…what you really are?«  
Minho shrugged, »I mean, I guess Changbin figured it out. Pretty sure Seungmin got the hang out of it long ago as well. I don’t know about Felix and I know for a fact that Jisung knows that something is off with me. He told me multiple times.«  
»But he never asked?«, Namjoon said and stared dumbfounded when Minho shook his head, »He always said that I probably had my reasons for hiding it and that he will wait until I tell him myself.«

Chan sobbed a fake cry and wiped away an invisible tear, »Get your man, Minho. He is the perfect boyfriend, really.« - »Excuse me?!«, Byeonghee exclaimed offended and grumbled softly when Chan only patted his head with a teasing smile.  
»I never really understood why exactly you never told him«, Chanyeol said with a shrug, »I mean, I don’t think Jisung would’ve cared that much, he already knew you’re a Warlock. And after he literally didn’t bat an eye at Hyunjin being the Sin of Pride, you should’ve known he won’t judge you for it like most people would.«

Minho sighed and looked away, »At first…I just thought that I won’t see him again and that I don’t have a reason to tell him. So I eventually just started to live with the fact that Jisung doesn’t know. And when I started realizing that I actually liked him…I just didn’t tell him because I knew I’d get in trouble for it.«  
»That’s why you asked Ednera to put a restriction around your heart«, Hyunjin said and Minho wasn’t even surprised that his best friend was aware of that. He nodded tiredly.  
»That’s also why I disabled my emotions. And why I avoided him a lot of times. I knew that I had already lost and that scared me because-…« - »Because Ranera told you when you were awakened that you should never love anyone«, Chan said in a serious tone.

The Warlock nodded, »I did the same to Hyunjin and Jeongin, to Yeji and Ryujin and literally most of you when I first met you. I knew what I represent, and you knew that as well. I hated myself for it and I was used to shutting people out. I was good at keeping me and my emotions in check. But that just didn’t seem to work with Jisung, and it terrified me. Because I never had a problem like this. And I felt influenced by my own powers.«  
»Back when you told us you snapped and pushed Jisung into the bed, I am almost certain that wasn’t you snapping«, Byeonghee said and pointed at Taehyung who for once wasn’t dozing off, »Jisung must’ve hummed the Song of Sloth, which explains why you started being so careless around him.«

Minho nodded and sighed again.

»So you’re going to tell them…?«, Namjoon asked slowly.

Minho hesitated. It wasn’t like his secret was something bad. The only person who really had a problem with it was _him_, actually. He just hoped Jisung wouldn’t be too shocked, though, he doubted it…really.  
And so, the Warlock nodded with a defeated sigh.

Chanyeol released a probably long overdue groan and said, »Oh my god, _thank you_ – do you have _any_ idea how many awfully bad jokes I could’ve dropped referring to your position?!«  
»The amount of times I had to bite my tongue in order to not call you out«, Byeonghee snapped annoyed and even Jeongin sighed, _»I hated not calling you Master~!«_

Donghyuck had a shit eating grin on his face, »So…tell us one of those jokes, I’m curious.«  
The Commandment of Truth started laughing before he even opened his mouth, Minho waiting for the joke patiently (already dragging it, honestly), »I can’t say them anymore, they were only fitting for certain situations.«  
»Pretty sure Minho causes enough situations», Taehyung offered and Chanyeol doubled over in laughter.

Minho rolled his eyes, already annoyed with them, »Haha, really funny. Fuck you, Taehyung.«  
»Honestly, I wouldn’t say no«, he said with a wink and Minho glared at him, ignoring Chanyeol’s hysterical laugh. »For real, I bet you’re a _natural_.«  
»Okay that’s enough, please stop already«, Byeonghee said, trying to stifle his own laugh but failing miserably at it, »We should _finish_ this.«  
»Are we done with the sex jokes?«, Minho groaned and waited for them to calm down, a sigh leaving his lips, »None of you will ever find out if I’m a natural or not.«

»We don’t have to, pretty sure Jisung will be loud enough«, Hyunjin shrugged and earned a slap from Namjoon, while everyone else laughed again.

While everyone was busy joking around some more, Minho locked eyes with Yoongi, hearing the God’s voice in his head as he said, _»I guess it finally starts, right, Sin of Lust?«_

Minho didn’t answer Yoongi, but he knew that he didn’t have to;

now, finally, it started. Finally, he found them all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :DDDD  
:D
> 
> i'm pretty sure most of you figured it out by now or AT LEAST thought about it LMAOO but now, it's confirmed!  
Our dearest Minho is the Sin of Lust - you will hear a lot more about that in detail in the next chapter but for nOw; Jisung. I guess you guys figured that he is special in some way and I hinted a lot in this chapter - what do you guys think happened? What kind of secrets did his mother try to hide? Was his father really the lovely father Jisung and Seungmin remembered...? And whO miGHt thAt mR. jEon bE??!! (you will absolutely fall in lOve with Jeongguk's role in here, seriously).  
don't be shy, I'm curious about your theories and thoughts uwu
> 
> also, I finally managed to do a twitter account for ao3 updates and yk stuff like that so...if you're interested and would like to know some updates and maybe spoilers and Q&A's and stuff like that...find my Twitter account: @yasusthefairy  
I'm looking forward to talking to you guys a lot more easier and maybe even getting to know some of you ><
> 
> as always, thank you so much for reading uwu I hope you liked it! :3
> 
> author-nim <33


	29. draught of darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello there~  
it's been two weeks again :O time is running lmao I don't even realize it  
anywayyssss this chapter will make you go OHHHH and I can not wait for the theories you guys have HFIebfIOWNFNPWNwf  
bUt enough of me talking - have fun reading! <3

**Draught of Darkness;  
There is no light without darkness, no water without fire, no air without earth – Ranera built her world based on opposites and one of the most important ones are darkness and light. The Draught of Darkness is as mysterious as its element; no one really knows what the potion is good for, though, most people say that it is more of a poison than a potion. People tried to mix and drink it, and no one is sure if getting killed by it is merely its effect or due to a wrong ingredient. There’s one thing for sure though; whoever drinks it shows its darkest desires, thoughts, and sides.  
Maybe the potion was created to empathize that even the lightest of hearts needs just as much darkness to shine…**

_»I am really getting fed up with this«, Jisung said and stared at the grey landscapes in front of him. At least, he didn’t have to watch Kritix dying or – even worse – experience one of her confusing visions again. He mirrored the aggressively displeased glare of his double when it said, **»Yeah, I wasn’t keen on seeing that light heart of yours again either.«**_

_Remember how Jisung thought he’d have a dreamless sleep for once? Yeah, no, he started dreaming again. After waking up for a few seconds because Jin did some healing magic on his exhausted mind, he fell asleep again and this time opened his eyes in those grey, dead surroundings of his. He thought he’d never see Fake-Jisung ever again if only for the fact that he had merely seen him because his body was in a state of endless chaos. But, as it seemed, the God of Dreams had other plans.  
Witty asshole, Jisung thought and hoped the God wouldn’t get him for blasphemy. He really shouldn’t play his luck like that, considering someone was actively trying to kill him._

_Fake-Jisung huffed again and disturbed Jisung’s thoughts dismissively, **»Have you found out anything?«**  
Jisung glanced at his alter ego and raised an eyebrow at his black hair, biting his lip when he remembered the memory Jimin unlocked earlier. »The black hair. I was born with black hair. Why does no one remember that?«  
**»Seungmin was too little to remember that«**, his alter ego said with a shrug and added**, »You were barely two years old when your mother took you to Mr. Jeon.«**_

_Jisung frowned when he remembered Mr. Jeon and his son, Jeongguk, thinking about them and what had happened in that memory of his. He glared at Fake-Jisung when he started chuckling evilly, obviously amused by the confusion, **»You must’ve some really big questions.«**  
»Oh, shut up!«, Jisung snapped and stubbornly sat down on the ground. He tried to ignore his alter ego’s teasing grin but knew he wouldn’t be able to and eventually caved, »…Tell me what you know.«  
**»I thought I should shut up?«** \- »I _will_ strangle you.«_

_The other Jisung chuckled again but didn’t waste much more time, **»The memory you saw was quite important actually. And you only remember it because your mind developed faster than a normal child’s. You were awfully good at talking and observing for a barely three years old kid. Mr. Jeon was a good friend of your mother and a necromancer.«**_

_The frown on Jisung’s face intensified if that was even possible. A necromancer? Why would his mother take him to a _necromancer_?  
Necromancer are sorcerers of unelemental magic, just like connecters and magic potion experts. They had the natural ability to talk to the dead, summon them and influence death. Though, they could not prevent death, like connecters – by influencing the dead, they literally pulled out dead souls from heaven or hell by creating lifeless bodies for them to wander around in. Though, nothing about those souls is lively – they lack the light of life, for they had already died. Necromancers are said to be gifted with a couple of other dark abilities as well but there weren’t enough sorcerers born as necromancers to actually know that._

_Jisung wasn’t surprised his dear mother had been friends with a necromancer – she had been a magic potion expert herself, after all, and obviously had a life before marrying his father and living above a pub in Orlon. Though, admittedly, Jisung had no idea about his late mother’s life before he was born.  
»Why did she take me to a necromancer? It didn’t seem like they were just having a nice and friendly tea date«, Jisung asked and watched his fake-self sigh tiredly, fingers drawing bored rings into the grey ground with his own blood.  
**»You were a special kid, you know. Well – **_ **we_ were a special kid. People avoided us and it was known that something was wrong with us. We weren’t supposed to be born. They called us a monster. We heard voices, we could do things other people had difficulties to even _learn_ when they are adults, our magical power was immense. Your mother went to Mr. Jeon because the dearest man wanted her to decide what she should do about our situation…«_**

_It dawned on Jisung what they had been there for – he remembered what his mother had said to Mr. Jeon; that her answer was no; that this wasn’t a game, and they were talking about a life.  
_His_ life.  
_**»It doesn’t hurt, Saebom. It’ll be like he fell asleep.«_  
_**_Jisung swallowed and looked at his alter ego, »Okay…so Mr. Jeon offered my mother to kill me. But why? And what did he do instead? What voices are you talking about?«_

_His alter ego scoffed, **»Wouldn’t that be too easy? You’re smart, aren’t you – figure it out.«**  
»You’re kidding me now, right?«, Jisung blinked at his fake version and gaped when his alter ego shrugged and turned away from him, voice sounding distant as he seemed to take a nap, **»Do I look like a fucking angel to you? Trust me, I am anything but. Now wake up or else your friends will think you died on them for good.«**_

_Jisung didn’t even get the time to open his mouth in protest, his surroundings fading into a hazy blur and his head spinning as he knew that he’d wake up…_

\-----

Considering how many times Jisung woke up to a roaring headache or an uncomfortable pain, he assumed that this time wouldn’t be much of a difference. But when he blinked his eyes open this time, his head hurt worse than it ever had. It honestly felt like someone stirred his brain inside his head, occasionally sending electric shocks through his eyes.

He groaned when Felix’s way too energized, deep voice hit his ears, »Jisung, you’re alive!«  
A slap resonated through the infirmary and Jisung assumed that Jin must’ve slapped the fairy’s head, hearing him hiss a quiet, »Shut up, he’s still in pain!«  
Jisung blinked a few times more, finally recognizing his surroundings, eyes locking with Jimin’s guilty smiling crescent-shaped eyes, »How are you feeling?«, the angel softly asked in a low voice. The magic potion expert groaned again, attempting to sit up (with the help of Jin, who very carefully positioned his pillows behind his back) and eventually mumbling in slurred words, »My head hurts…«  
»Yeah, that one’s on me. I was thrown out of your mind which shouldn’t happen like this…«, Jimin responded guiltily.

Jin nodded along and very softly touched Jisung’s forehead, warm hands kind of soothing the pain as he seemed to analyse his condition, »It seems like you’re doing fine though, luckily. You could’ve gotten a lot of damage from those mind games.«  
_Well_, Jisung thought, _I’m not keen on experiencing it again_.

He let Jin do some more tests on him, probably to check if he really was alright. When he looked up at Jimin, there was worry in his eyes. Jisung raised an eyebrow at him, confused, but the angel averted his eyes and said, »…I’ll go have a talk with Yoongi.«  
And just like that, he was gone.  
Seungmin, who had been quiet until now, sat down on the edge of Jisung’s bed and said, »…What did you see? In your memory?«

Jisung and him shared eye contact for a really long time. For some reason, he felt like Seungmin already knew and when the soon-to-be angel’s eyes turned sorrowful, he knew for a fact that his best friend had probably shared the information with Jimin through their weird connection. Therefore, Jisung merely sighed and shrugged, following Jin’s order to swallow some mixture and rest for a little bit longer.

When Jisung woke up again, he found himself on a soft mattress. The room was dark, save for the chimney in the right corner that was softly lightning up the dim walls. His head didn’t pound anymore, and he felt overall better. A startled gasp escaped him when he heard someone placing a cup on a table. It was now that Jisung realized where exactly he was; Minho’s room. Someone must’ve carried him here after he passed out again, probably since his condition was better than before.  
He looked to his right and caught a glimpse of the window, quickly shaking his head when the memory of Kritix jumping out of it appeared in his head. He softly kicked the blanket(s) off of his legs and stood up on slightly shaky legs, walking over to the chimney and the person who was seated on the armchair there.

Considering how thoroughly Jisung avoided the Warlock within the last couple of days, you’d assume the air between them was weird. But instead, something was _different_. When Jisung stepped next to Minho’s armchair and the Warlock looked up at him, the air thickened. For the first time in almost two weeks, Minho’s eyes weren’t dull. They reflected everything around him in the same way the usually did before their…situation. They were shining, not in their magenta colour, but just in that special way only Minho’s eyes could shine; full of honesty, sincerity, warmth, and care. As if those eyes held the whole world in them. Whatever had happened with Minho lately, it was over.

And Jisung was unintentionally releasing a relieved sigh because of that.

Minho chuckled softly, »You seem like something heavy was lifted off of your shoulders.«  
»…It feels like that, yes«, Jisung admitted. He took a deep breath and eyed the armchair Minho was sitting in, legs still wobbly from sleeping so much. The Warlock noticed his glances and stood up, carefully guiding Jisung back to the bed and tugging him in. Jisung grinned, »Why did I stand up when I ended up in your bed again?«  
»You’re still tired and your body needs to recover some more. That magic Jimin did on you was dangerous and risky«, Minho answered.

It was silent between them for a few seconds in which they both seemed to think about their own things. Eventually, Jisung dared to ask the one thing he wanted to ask ever since he realized Minho was back to being…well…_himself_. »What was going on with you in the last couple of days?«  
Minho started playing around with the sleeves of Jisung’s pullover, »…I freaked out?«  
Jisung looked at him with a deadpanned glare, to which the Warlock eventually sighed and said: »Remember when you asked me what I am? I’d like to get back to that point.«

Oh yes, Jisung remembered that very clearly, actually. He remembered their lips leaving each other, their eyes connected, their breath mingling, their noses brushing, bodies pressed together and the air both, too hot and too cold and the same time. Jisung had asked him what they were. What _Minho_ was. And the Warlock had snapped out of whatever trance he had been in, distancing himself from Jisung instantly.

The potion expert nodded slowly and looked up at Minho, »Okay then, let’s go back to that moment. What _are_ you?«  
Minho was prepared for the question this time and looked into Jisung’s eyes, his own eyes lightning up magenta, »Darkness, Jisung. My element is darkness.«  
Jisung remembered asking about the Warlock’s affinity within the first couple of days he had been here, when he still thought he could return back to Orlon and to a normal life with Seungmin. Back then, Minho had simply said that he’d have to find out on his own. Jisung never got to find out because Minho was awfully good at keeping his walls up and he never exposed more of himself than he had to. Especially the things involving his magical power or existence as Warlock were kept away from him carefully.

»You said that you assume something is wrong with me. You said you knew that I’m probably lying to you about something. What do you think did I lie about?«, Minho said after some time and Jisung looked at him quizzically. He took his sweet time to think.  
There were so many weird things about Minho that Jisung had been curious about ever since they met: the fact that he knew Jisung was in danger back when he saved him from the hellhounds; the fact that Minho ordered someone else’s nine-tailed fox around as if Jeongin was his own loyal servant; his eyes, that were glowing up at weird times for no reason whatsoever; the way everyone had a weird sense of respect towards him even though most of their friends were highly ranked Commandments and Sins of Heaven and Hell; his magical power, that seemed to just randomly blow up to something impossibly concentrated whenever he seemed to lose his cool; how he shut up Chanyeol, Mina and so many other people whenever they were about to call him something specific.  
The simple fact that he knew Hyunjin, the Warlock of Nature and Sin of Pride.  
Donghyuck, who had immediately caved once Minho threatened him even though the man was a Sin of Hell himself.  
Ednera, who could also talk to him.

A light in Jisung’s head went on.

He turned to look back into Minho’s magenta eyes and swallowed softly, putting together the last pieces in his brain; how obviously tempting everything about him was; his magical power; his overall aura; the fact that he was accompanying Hyunjin and Byeonghee to hell or that he managed to fight off a freaking God of Hell.  
Jisung’s voice didn’t shake when he said, »You’re a chosen Warlock of Hell. You’re…you’re lust, second in rank and Wizard of Darkness. That’s why you could hear Ednera when she was talking to me. You were the one who saved me with the prayer, not Hyunjin. That’s why your magical power can shoot up like this. Why you have mood swings. And why you reacted the way you did when I hummed the Song of Sloth…«

Minho didn’t say anything, instead, he inched closer and Jisung continued rambling, »You…you turned off your emotions after I kicked you out. That’s why…you were acting this distant lately. Oh my god, you-…you are the second most powerful Warlock in Ifith, and I didn’t notice.«  
»I _didn’t want you_ to notice«, Minho finally said and Jisung had a hard time processing his words, eyes constantly shifting back and forth between his magenta glowing eyes and tempting, soft lips.  
»But how did I not see it? You are literally temptation on legs…Seungmin said so himself, how did I not get this…?« - »_Temptation on legs_?«, Minho purred and Jisung felt his face turn awfully red.

It was hard to remain calm when the Warlock inched even closer, leaning over Jisung, breath mingling together and noses almost touching as he said, »How do you feel about those facts?«

Nervous swallowing, shifting eyes, beating heart.

»I-…uhm…it’s…shocking? And at the same it’s not because so many things suddenly make…so much more sense-…«, Jisung said and sucked in a sharp breath when Minho shifted, a warm hand softly playing around with the blonde hair in Jisung’s nape.  
»Well then…we’re alright?«, Minho asked and his voice sounded innocent, but his eyes were shining so brightly, so tempting, so…_luring_.  
Jisung really needed to force himself to focus and not let his head drift off. He nodded softly and closed his eyes when he felt the Warlock coming closer – only for Minho to plop down under the blankets next to Jisung and snuggle into his pillow dreamily, »That’s reassuring. I thought you’d…push me away for lying or be mad or something like that.«

The potion expert’s brain honestly barely caught up to what was happening right now, his mouth agape as he watched the Warlock next to him wink at him as if it were nothing, wishing him a good night and promptly closing his eyes.  
Really, even if Jisung would’ve been mad, he wouldn’t have been able to express that with how teasingly unfair Minho managed to destroy his brain by only slurring a few words.

Fucking Sin of Lust.

\-----

Minho’s reveal about who he really was turned out to be much less of a surprise than everyone thought it would be.

Just like the Warlock himself apparently thought, most of them had already guessed that Minho was something way stronger than he wanted them to think. Changbin had simply shrugged and said that he had, _»Smelled his weird Hell-Scent«_ from the beginning on. Seungmin had added with a shrug that Hyunjin was really bad at keeping secrets and though, the Warlock of Nature never actually said what Minho was, it had been pretty obvious just by the simple fact that _»A man like Hyunjin would goggle at a man like Minho«_; Seungmin had very honestly stated that he only assumed that Minho was the Sin of Lust because Hyunjin had once told him about how tempting the Warlock was (and the soon-to-be angel had also thoroughly ignored Minho’s highly offended glare). Felix seemed to be just as naïve and oblivious as Minho expected him to be, the poor fairy almost falling off of his chair when Minho revealed his position to them.

Now that everyone was on the same page about Minho’s true self no one held back on teasing him anymore. And that did not stop Minho from teasing Jisung either.  
It turned out to be a bad thing for Jisung’s heart that he now was aware of that fact. Because Minho didn’t hide anything anymore and he seemed to reveal his true self finally and fully; flirty, teasing, bluntly honest. Of course, his already well-known characteristics didn’t disappear though, but he could finally act on it (by for example not threatening Jin to turn his hair green but actually doing it).  
»I liked you hiding that Sin of Lust shit way better«, Seokjin had thrown towards him while trying to get his natural rosy hair colour back in the most pissed-off way Jisung had ever seen.

Their very playful morning was finally done though as soon as they sat down in Hyunjin’s living room (he had a living room no one was aware of where all of them could sit and look at each other without any problems and Felix had complained about why they had been squeezing themselves into the salon and uncomfortable dining room before if that giant ass living room existed).

Jisung honestly dreaded this conversation because he simply didn’t know what to make of the situation himself. But as it seemed, Minho had some things to say as well and so, his memories and what Jimin had seen were ditched for later.

»…I was the last person who talked to Ranera before she disappeared«, Minho said slowly. Everyone stared and listened intently, curious about what Minho was about to say.  
»Ranera asked me to visit her in a private audience that day. I don’t know why, I never talked to her apart from the usual meetings I had about my responsibilities as Warlock of Darkness; you know, assignments and documents and stuff like that. But she is the Queen, and I followed her request…«, he paused and frowned, probably remembering that day very clearly, »…She told me about something dark coming for us. Something evil, something that had already been here. She said that this darkness was what made her act the way she did back then, what made _them_ act the way they did back then. And then she gave me the divination…«

»What was the divination…?«, Jimin asked and Minho swallowed, suddenly expanding his magical power. Jisung felt something weird in his head and then knew for a fact that Minho was now in everyone’s thoughts.  
_»Let me show you…«_, he said in their heads and Jisung probably saw what Minho had seen when Ranera passed on the divination back then;

** _Wings and an ace._ **

** _A pink light, embracing something dark._ **

** _The sea._ **

** _An oak tree, symbolizing power, and courage._ **

** _An orange fire._ **

** _A snowflake._ **

** _Yellow eyes._ **

** _An orange-brownish spark that pulsated like a heart._ **

** _The pictures suddenly disappeared and showed something else; red skies, dark shadows, and bloody rivers. Demons, people screaming, the smell of ashes and death._ **

** _Most importantly; a creature standing on a heap of corpses, eyes as dark and void as the nothingness that lured behind the light and dark, horns visible as a silhouette in the dark-red sky, blood dripping from its claws audibly._ **

** _The thing had an aura, unlike everything Minho ever felt – filled with hatred and evil, nothing comparable even existing as purely disgustingly evil as this._ **

** _And then, a voice cut straight through Minho’s frozen thoughts, strange and yet so familiar that goose bumps formed on his arms. It was light and sweet, honey-filled, and so, so warm – Minho almost wanted to drown himself in that voice if it wasn’t for its absolutely desperate and anxious words; »Protect me!«_ **

Everyone frowned confused and Minho shivered as he seemed to recite what her Majesty had told him back then, »…She told me to _‘find them’_. And as it seemed, I did…one after another, I met people and every time I did meet someone new, I felt the divination clear up and it’s influence lessen. It’s fully gone now; I fulfilled my part.«  
Jisung blinked and looked around, remembering the divination very clearly in his head. And suddenly, it all made so much sense, he saw the connection so obviously clear.

**Wings and an ace**; Seungmin, their soon-to-be angel, chosen by the Divine to serve it.  
**A pink light, embracing something dark**; Minho, with magenta as his designated colour and affinity to darkness.  
**The sea**; Chan, as the Wizard of Water and with his special ability to talk to everything that lived in the sea.  
**An oak tree, symbolizing power, and courage; **Hyunjin, the Warlock of Nature, prideful and strong just like oaks.**  
An orange fire;** Byeonghee, with his striking, orange hair and the hot power of fire as the strongest Warlock of Hell known in Ifith, the Sin of Wrath.**  
A snowflake;** Felix, the chosen heir to the winter-fairies, a gifted warrior and born of royal blood, destined to rule over the winter-woods.**  
Yellow eyes; **Changbin, an excommunicated Werewolf with yellow eyes and a strong sense of loyalty.**  
And an orange-brownish spark that pulsated like a heart; **Jeongin, a long dead soul who’s heart technically shouldn’t beat anymore, but it did thanks to the pact he held with Hyunjin.

Everyone seemed to understand, and Felix muttered softly, »We were destined…to meet. Minho-hyung was supposed to seek us all out and he did…«  
»Yes, but what about the last part?«, Namjoon said in a serious tone, »Ranera didn’t just do that to bring together some new friends. Something dangerous is coming for us.«  
»The creature we saw…«, Jin mumbled softly and Jisung nodded along, »…The voice that asked Minho to _‘Protect it’_.«

Just in that moment, when those words left Jisung’s lips, literally everyone turned to stare at him with wide eyes. He swallowed and smiled sheepishly, »W-What? Can you guys stop doing that to me all the time?«  
»Say it again«, Byeonghee said and Jisung frowned nervously, »Say what again-…«  
»What you said just now, repeat it« - Jisung’s frown intensified but he repeated _‘Protect it’_, to which everyone’s astonishment seemed to get even bigger.  
»It’s _your_ voice«, Jin mumbled and the potion expert glanced at him in the most confused way, »Huh?«

Minho’s eyes glowed up in the brightest magenta as he stared at Jisung, something obviously clicking in his brain when he suddenly facepalmed himself and said, »Of fucking course, how did I not realize that earlier…«  
»Your weird protection drill, the habit of needing Jisung near you…«, Byeonghee murmured absentmindedly and Hyunjin added, »You must’ve known subconsciously all along.«  
»Hello? Earth to group of friends who obviously talk about something important. What the hell did you just realize?«, Jisung interrupted and Seungmin pointed at him with a dull expression on his face, »The voice that screamed _»Protect me!«_ in the divination. It’s your voice. That’s why Minho is so awfully attached to you and can’t deal with anyone doing anything to any of your hairs.«

Jisung’s mind doubled over and he replayed the voice in his head, shockingly realizing that it was indeed his _own_ voice. He gasped, face turning beet red, hiding behind Felix who was seated right next to him on the couch, »H-How embarrassing…«  
»Don’t worry Sung-ie, we’re used to it by now«, Jin added and it only made his blush worse.

»I think we all forget something«, Yoongi suddenly spoke up, very comfortably seated on his armchair with Jimin smugly using him as his personal chair, »How does Jisung even fit into this whole divination? He met Minho as one of the first, Hyunjin and Jeongin not considered. And he is very obviously important in that divination. But why does he say _protect me_? From _what_ should Minho protect him and _why_?«  
»What if it’s not just Minho?«, Namjoon threw in with a calculated look on his face, »I mean we just assume it’s Minho who has to protect him because they’re all lovey-dovey« - the Commandment ignored Minho’s pissed-off glare and Jisung’s embarrassed whine - »but what if all of you are supposed to protect him?«

»I don’t think it matters that much at the moment. What bothers me more is the part of the divination before Jisung’s cry for help«, Byeonghee said with a frown.  
Minho finally clinked himself in again, »There is something else Ranera told me. She said; _»My mistakes cannot repeat themselves. You need to prevent the War between Heaven and Hell. This time…it needs to end as soon as the evil is here. And it will come«_. After she told me that, she…was attacked by those ugly shadows, Jimin called them the _Plague_? Like she literally disappeared into thin air right in front of my eyes. And when she was gone, the guards came swarming inside, assuming that _I_ did something to her…«

Jisung related to everyone’s simultaneously thrown out, _‘Ahh’_-Sound; that’s why Minho was sentenced to die and why he was on the run. And he couldn’t tell anyone about it because of the divination. Because he couldn’t defend himself with the truth, he more or less had to accept the fact that everyone thought he magically got rid of the Queen and Goddess, especially since the trails of magic probably were darkness and the people in the castle were aware of Minho’s position and affinity.

Something was coming for them. Something dark. Ranera knew about this and according to how weird the Goddess was acting that day, she had also known that the Plague would get her. But why the Plague? Why did the Plague get her…?  
Jisung frowned, »Okay, my cry for protection put aside; Ranera said that _‘her mistakes cannot repeat themselves’_. What did she mean with that?«

Yoongi suddenly swallowed so loudly that everyone heard it in the confused silence that had settled itself over them, his face mortified, »Oh no…Jimin-ie, do you remember the reason for the Great War…?«  
The angel who was still seated on Yoongi’s lap narrowed his eyes at the memory, »…There were so many things going wrong that day. I could never forget.«

No one really knew the reason why the War escalated the way it did. There were many stories, many rumours, legends. It happened a couple of hundred years ago, after all. But no one who was still alive knew the real reason. All Ranera ever preached about it was that the responsible people were punished. One of the most known examples; the Goddess of Darkness and Guardian of Hell, Ednera of the Dark. Speaking her name was considered a sin itself in the Temple. But obviously, the Warlocks of Hell had some sort of connection to her. The Commandments tried to avoid talking about her but Jisung assumed this was more because they were told to do so and not because they really knew something important about her.

»What happened? In the Great War…?«, Hyunjin asked slowly, »Why did it happen? And what does it have to do with Ranera and this darkness that’s supposed to come now?«  
Yoongi’s face was pale – even paler than it already was anyways. »…I don’t know the exact reasons…I only know what happened during the War itself and afterwards. When I realized what was going on, Hell was already running loose on Earthland.«  
»How about you Jimin?«, Jin asked and turned to the angel, who shook his head immediately, »I-…I can’t tell you. It’s my angel-secret. I was a living, human being when all of that happened. It’s the reason I was punished by the Divine. I can’t…tell you anything on my part. Not like I know what happened in Heaven and Hell anyways; I could only tell you how I experienced it on Earthland.«

»Great, so no one knows anything apart from those who are already dead?«, Hyunjin snapped with an annoyed huff, »What is wrong with you Gods, why are you Gods when you don’t know everything?!«  
Yoongi sent him a pissed-off glare, »Want to trade positions, I’d give it to you every second.«

Before Hyunjin could childishly snap back, Jimin suddenly started rhythmically beating Yoongi’s chest, standing up from his comfortable seat on the God’s lap with an excited, giddy smile on his face, »Darling, we both know someone who was there when shit went down!«  
He sniffed when heaven seemed to punish him with a dose of nose bleeding because of his curse as it seemed. The God of Time frowned confused and slapped his lover’s hands away with an annoyed hiss, telling him to stop hitting his chest, »What are you talking about?«

»Someone who knows what happened! Hyunjin just said everyone who knows what happened is dead but that’s not true – we have someone left!«, Jimin said again and Yoongi seemed to think, hardly, his eyes narrowed, and nose (cutely) scrunched up in thoughts. When he seemed to realize what his angel was talking about, his eyes widened and he shook his head so hardly, Jisung thought he’d throw his brain out, »No. No way. Never in a million years. I said I won’t talk to that asshole for the next trillion moons and those trillion moons are not over yet.«

Jimin huffed annoyed and slapped the back of Yoongi’s head, everyone very shocked at the bold disrespect, »Stop being childish!«  
»I’m not being childish, you didn’t have to deal with him like I did!«, Yoongi threw back and narrowed his eyes at Jimin when the angel started glaring at him in a way Jisung had never seen on him, »Don’t you dare, Jimin. I will not hesitate this time.«  
The angel huffed and summoned a sword big enough to chop off three heads in a row, Jisung very worriedly watching the God standing up to stand against his boyfriend. »I can’t believe you’re still acting like an immature baby after all these years – get over it, we need his assistance or else we’ll be stuck in this shitty mansion forever.«

Everyone thoroughly ignored Hyunjin’s absolutely offended, »Then why are you always _here_, you clearly have you own god damn home!«, especially when Yoongi’s magic started getting a little bit too concentrated to be considered save.  
»Should we stop them…?«, Chan uttered and everyone turned their heads to Jin when the Commandment merely chuckled, leaning back on his chair with a chilled expression on his face, »Nah, don’t worry. That’s normal, they always fight like this.«

Jisung flinched when Yoongi’s voice pitched down to something dangerously impatient as he answered the angel, »Jimin, I am not in the mood to discuss this, put the sword away.«  
»Not until you agree to contact him!«, Jimin answered.  
It was quiet for a few seconds in which the couple just stared at each other. Suddenly, Jimin stepped back and pushed forward with his sword, wings appearing and assisting his attack as he held the sword up and prepared to hit Yoongi. The God barely managed to avoid him, Hyunjin whining in a mixture of offend and frustration when the angel destroyed one of his precious armchairs instead.

They watched the two throw insults at each other’s heads, Jimin’s mostly missing Yoongi by just a second and the God very hesitantly threw some spells in the angel’s direction himself (Jisung noted that he in fact did hold back even though he said he wouldn’t).

After some time, Jin – who had very delightfully watched them jump around in the spacious living room, trying to hit each other while discussing and cursing – stood up and tapped Namjoon’s sides, the Commandment squirming away from the squeezing with a cute yelp (Namjoon was ticklish and that fact surprised Jisung more than it should). Seokjin asked the Commandment to stop these idiots with his powers, to which his ex-fiancé just sighed and eventually stepped forward, voice seemingly shaking the whole mansion as he said in a firm tone, »Stop it!«

Almost instantly, both, Yoongi and Jimin, stopped moving, their feet planted to the floor as if roots suddenly grew out of them. They gasped for air, but apart from that didn’t try to attack each other again. Yoongi dismissively snapped his fingers, everything in the room turning back to it’s original state without Hyunjin even having to complain (this time).  
»I will…not…summon him…here…«, Yoongi panted and fixed Jimin with a solid stare. The angel mirrored the heavy breaths and answered, »If you refuse to do it…I will personally…force you to do it…with my magic…«  
»You…little bitch…« - »…Only…when I…have to…«, Jimin answered and they continued staring at each other until Yoongi eventually caved and released a very pent up sigh.

He straightened up, throwing his head back with a groan and said, »Okay, fine! You won! But I want you to stop manipulating me like this, I won’t allow you to do that with me anymore!«  
Jimin merely smirked, also straightening up, a hand gliding through his beautiful, silver hair as he answered, »You’ve been promising me that for almost five hundred years and you still give in to everything I want anyways – at least threaten me with something I know you’ll actually do.«  
Before Yoongi could answer anything, Chanyeol interfered their banter a little bit too quickly, »No one wants to know what you’ll do to him then, I do not care about your sexual activities.«  
»How did you know he was going to say something dirty?«, Seungmin questioned with a bored expression, to which Chanyeol merely shot him a dry look, »Because I’ve known them long enough to know more than I’d like to.«

»Anyways«, Byeonghee spoke up with a sigh, »Could you please elaborate what the hell you guys were talking about because I promise you, no one but you two got it.«

The God of Time scoffed and said, »We need to know what Ranera had been talking about when she said Minho would have to prevent the War this time. I wasn’t there when things escalated but I know someone who was…«  
Chan’s eyes were glowing dark blue, obviously somehow knowing something just because he was the Commandment of Reticence and just seemed to know everything, »The God of Fire; _Abium_.«

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love Yoonmin dynamics ngl HAHAHAHAHAHA   
but apart from the fact that they are couple goals; you found out a lot of very very verrryyy important stuff! and trust me, it'll only get wilder from now on :)
> 
> What was Ranera thinking? What happened in the Great War? And what is this divination...actually about? y'all please I'm ready for your thoughts hit me with them :D
> 
> as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter uwu we officially hit 300 Word pages with this chapter by the way ><  
thank you so much for reading and supporting!
> 
> stay healthy and have a really nice Christmas uwu  
author-nim <33


	30. fire and heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAARRR!  
anddd as my new year's gift; an extra large chapter uwu
> 
> I am almost CERTAIN most of you will LOVE this chapter...and then at the end feel the need to kick me whoops lol  
have fun reading!

**Fire and Heat;  
Though it may seem unimportant for many people, the heat is one of the most important ‘ingredients’ for almost every potion. Every mixture can only promise its described effect and outturn if the heat it had been boiling on is as prescribed. Measuring the heat and knowing how to handle it is needed in order to mix perfect potions that work to their full potential. That’s why magic potion experts have to know every step of their mixture perfectly out of their head without too many delays or a wrong step – specific potions even have to boil over a very specific heat or even fire for a very specific amount of time in order to turn out correctly.  
That’s why – to empathize the importance of Heat in the making of potions – we gifted every buyer of this potions guide a free thermometer to measure the heat needed for every potion!**

Though Yoongi had not been keen on it, he had decided to do his best and try to summon Abium. He had grumbled until the moment him and Jimin finally said goodbye with the promise to be back with a hot Fire God (the angel’s suggestive eyebrow-wiggling had been commented with a low scoff by a very displeased God of Time). Jisung thought it’s amusing and also started getting curious if Jimin knew the God of Fire personally (given the fact that _if_ they met, Yoongi probably wasn’t with him because the God clearly couldn’t stand him).

For now, they decided talking about the last part of topics they had to finally address – Jisung’s memories. He was very nervous about sharing them even though he knew he had no actual reason to; no one knew more about what happened back then than he did unless they had been there, which they obviously weren’t.  
When he was done explaining what he had seen in his memories, everyone remained silent for a way too long time.  
Jisung shared their unsettling confusion; he wasn’t quite sure what to think of the things that he had seen as well.

Eventually, Changbin spoke up with a weirdly airy and dull sounding voice, »…Why did people call you a monster when you were a child? You said that apparently, even your father called you that?«  
Jisung shuddered at that and nodded slowly, »…I guess? I can’t recall any of that though. _If_ he did, he must’ve stopped after that…incident.«  
»I can’t imagine your father doing that, though«, Seungmin threw in with a frown, »I mean he disappeared quite early in your childhood, but I remember him as a funny guy who liked playing with children and was more of a kid than you were.«  
»What bothers me more is the fact that your mother did that without him«, Byeonghee pointed out and elaborated with a frown, »Given how you guys seem to remember your father, he seemed more like the type of guy who’d want to know about his child’s possibility of dying.«

Jisung frowned even more, confused about what the Warlock was talking about, »You mean…he would’ve wanted to be by my side?«  
»_That_…«, Byeonghee said and shrugged, »…and I think it’s weird that your mother only took you to that necromancer because he offered to kill you. For whatever reason. Your father must’ve known that. So I think it’s weird that he wasn’t there with you; I’d want to see my child when someone plans to kill it by the skilled hands of a necromancer.«

It did seem weird. So weird that Jisung started questioning all of his memories. His father disappeared too early for him to recall the man’s actual personality. He had always considered the man lovable, given the fact he sent his only son a package for his birthday every year until his mother died. Jisung assumed that he must’ve died around that time as well, since the packages and letters stopped; similar to how his grandmother’s messages stopped. But that didn’t explain why it seemed like his father wasn’t who he seemed to be.  
Jisung could recall that his parents fought a lot; awfully lot, even. But he never understood and therefore couldn’t remember what their fights were about. He also never dwelled on it for too long because his parents are both long gone and he didn’t feel like it was important – couples sometimes fought, that’s nothing Jisung assumed to be special or something weird. In fact, he would’ve considered it weirder if they never fought.

His attention shifted to Namjoon when he finally spoke up, »I think we should get back to Changbin‘s original question; why would anyone call you a monster? What voices were you talking about when you were a child?«  
For some reason, the thought of that locked away memory caused everything in Jisung to twist itself together to some knot, bile rising in his throat. It’s not like he could recall anything from before he turned merely six or seven years old, apart from vivid situations that just kind of stuck with him. He remembered the way Mr. Jeon started crying when Jisung told him he couldn’t hear the voices anymore and Jisung wondered why.

»I think…«, Jisung said and swallowed the nausea, »…That if anyone could tell us more, it would be that Mr. Jeon.«  
Minho – who had been quietly sitting on the armrest of the armchair Jisung was sitting on until now – nodded in agreement, »He was a friend of your mother and probably knew you since the day you were born. If anyone could tell us anything about what was…wrong with you, it would be him.«

»Okay well, nice«, Felix said and frowned, lips forming into a pout, »But how would we find that Mr. Jeon? Necromancers aren’t exactly known for just randomly giving out their location to anyone so asking people isn’t an option and I highly doubt Jisung remembers where exactly that man resided.«  
Seungmin (very passive-aggressively) pushed away Hyunjin’s grabby hands with an annoyed scowl before saying, »What about your mother’s old stuff in your basement? You never went through it and I’m almost certain there is something among those piles of things that could give us a hint.«

Jisung’s mind went blank. He totally forgot about his mother’s belongings. When she died, Seungmin’s parents helped him hiding the things in his basement; for various reasons, actually. The temple shouldn’t get the opportunity to find anything in those belongings that could lead them to false accusations (again). Jisung also couldn’t stand seeing her things in the beginning and as he grew older, life got busier and he eventually forgot about it, dust probably being the only thing those old belongings saw for a good amount of almost ten years.  
»I’d have to get back to Orlon then«, Jisung said. Minho shrugged and answered, »No problem. We’ll have to wait for Yoongi and Jimin anyways, so we have enough time to get to Orlon, search through your mother’s things and then get back here.«

»Sounds like a plan«, Changbin said and shrugged.  
Felix started smiling brightly and sat up in his comfortable seat next to the Werewolf, »I want to join you! I’m curious what the house Jisung grew up in looks like!«  
»It’s nothing special…really«, Jisung answered dryly, not being able to get himself to feel anywhere near as excited as the fairy did.

\-----

The last time Jisung had been here, it had been with Minho and Jeongin before their journey to Rogrus. He didn’t think he’d have to step over the broken remnants of what used to be his front door ever again, but here he was.  
Jisung released a pent up sigh when he stepped inside, not allowing himself to dwell on all the things he had lost in here and walking towards the back of his stairs to the door that lead to the basement.

Felix’s excitement about seeing Jisung’s used-to-be home immediately disappeared as soon as they stepped a foot inside Orlon. Different from last time, the frozen shadows of people who couldn’t run from the hellhounds had long disappeared, probably fell to dust and blown away by the wind. That didn’t make the once lively town any less creepy and therefore, the fairy had pretty much remained standing in between Changbin and Donghyuck. Honestly, no one was really sure why Donghyuck had decided to join them on that short journey, but he ended up doing it and surprisingly had quite the good relationship to Felix – probably a fairy-thing. Whereas Minho threw threat after threat at him, scowling at the Warlock for even just looking into Jisung’s direction, until the potion expert slapped Minho’s head and ordered him to, quote, _»Leave the honey-boy alone«_. _‘Honey-boy’_, because Jisung just really couldn’t help but compare the Warlock of Gluttony to honey with his golden skin and rich voice.

Even though Seungmin originally planned to join Jisung, he decided not to in the end; he said he didn’t feel comfortable enough yet and honestly, who were any of them to blame him. Seungmin had barely left the mansion ever since he found out about his destiny. Jimin had explained that he’d probably try to isolate himself and start doing weird things because he’d have a sort of connection to the earth normal sorcerers or humans don’t have. Jisung definitely noticed that, if only for the fact that Hyunjin had to get rid of the flowers in Seungmin’s bedroom because, as the soon-to-be angel worded it, they were _‘too loud’_.

So that left a small group, consisting of two fairies, a werewolf, a chosen Warlock of Hell and Jisung himself.

The staircase to the basement was just as dusty and full of spiderwebs as it should be, considering his old house stood still and empty for several months.  
Donghyuck and Minho were fascinated by the amount of shelves Jisung had down there, filled with food (that probably wasn’t eatable anymore) and most importantly; wine. The two Warlocks started having a conversation about why they liked wine and how long it had been since they drank anything good (Minho especially commented on how Hyunjin apparently had no taste and never managed to get wine that was actually considered good). Donghyuck, as the Warlock of Gluttony, was known for enjoying things the more the merrier and therefore swiftly decided he’d slap Hyunjin for making other people suffer with his, quote, _‘tasteless idiocy’_.  
Jisung didn’t miss that Minho started liking the Warlock a lot more after that conversation.

»Where did you get this wine? You were known for selling the best around Enos, right?«, Donghyuck asked and Jisung nodded along, »I barely left Orlon for anything like holidays or something like that. But my parents owned some wine fields half a day ride from here. I occasionally went to harvest some so I could make the wine. It’s an old recipe from my father’s side, apparently, and I just learned it as a child.«  
»His pub was actually known beyond Enos, I heard of it in Atror«, Minho said with a proud smile, as if he had anything to be proud of (Jisung dismissed the weird butterfly feelings in his stomach).

The Warlock of Gluttony groaned, »Man, I wish I would’ve visited the pub once when it was still…well…a pub. I bet I would’ve moved to Orlon with my whole mansion just because of that.«  
Jisung couldn’t help but smile at the imagination, especially because he probably would’ve really done it if the wine were good enough for him.  
»You can take some bottles with you if you want, it’s not like I can use them for anything else here you know«, Jisung told the others and proceeded towards the back of the basement, where there was a room filled with old furniture, things he couldn’t use and, most importantly, his mother’s old stuff.

Donghyuck and Felix had seemingly decided to take his words as an invitation and swiftly started tasting the wine ordered by age and different ingredients. Jisung would’ve laughed over it if his eyes wouldn’t have caught the frame of a really old picture as the first thing he saw once he opened the door to the backroom.

The noise from the two fairies in the background faded away as he stepped forward, fingers softly grazing the dusty frame.  
It was the only picture they ever took as a family, back when Jisung turned four years old. It was around the time his father disappeared and – as he knew now – the Bastrath attacked him. His mother’s smile was calm and happy, and his father had a hand resting on his son’s shoulder. It was quite the weird setting, honestly. Jisung never liked the picture and he didn’t like it now either.

When he was younger, it just reminded him of something he’d never have again.  
And as he grew older, like everything in this room, he forgot about it. Now, he just couldn’t stand it for quite the simple reason; he didn’t know what to think about any of those people on that picture. His mother, who was more of a mystery than a mother, come to think of it; his father who must’ve hated him more than actually loving his own son; and himself, a person he apparently didn’t know as good as he assumed he would all those years.

Jisung always deemed himself an easy person. He always stuck with the believe that no matter what kind of people he’d encounter, no matter what others said about him; he’d always know himself best.

But as it turned out, he didn’t.

»You okay?«, Minho asked in a soft whisper and startled him out of his thoughts. Jisung flinched slightly and nodded slowly, placing the picture back on the old commode and dismissing it from his memories. He cleared his throat and pointed towards a specific corner filled with loads of things, voice weirdly hoarse as he said, »…These are my mother’s things. I pretty much threw everything down here because it held so many memories for me. Honestly, I don’t even know what all of this is; I never looked at it again.«

Changbin and Minho nodded, the three of them hesitantly starting to search through the stuff.

They found a lot of books, several bags of clothing and jewellery. Jisung remembered that his mother had liked dressing up and looking good. Unfortunately though, they couldn’t need any of those things.  
Changbin stumbled upon a picture of his mother that had been drawn by a street artist when Jisung was around nine. He studied it for a long time and eventually said with a soft smile, »…You resemble her a lot. Your mother, I mean. She was beautiful.«

Jisung blinked and looked up from the spot he was sitting on the floor, gaze staying on the picture for a few seconds before tearing his eyes away from it and nodding slowly, »Yes…Seungmin said that a lot as well.«  
»You don’t really resemble your father, though«, Minho said with a carefulness noticeable through his tone. Jisung hated the fact that he seemed to be so obviously disturbed by being here, that Minho tried to treat him like glass.  
He merely shrugged, »I guess not…«

A loud shriek from outside made all of them startle and eventually sigh when the shriek turned into dumb giggles. Changbin stood up and walked towards the closed door, »Someone should’ve stayed with the fairies to assure they’d take it slow; they love alcohol, but they can’t handle it.«

That left Minho and Jisung alone in the backroom, while Changbin seemed to have a hard time dragging these two drunk fairies back up to get some free air. The silence hung between them like a thick blanket when the door upstairs fell shut behind the other three guys.  
Eventually, Minho said, »…It’s okay to not be okay, Jisung.«

»I know that«, Jisung said and dismissed the topic by simply getting back to looking through the pile of books his mother seemed to own, »Stop playing your part as my healer, I’m fine.«  
Minho – though obviously not buying any of it – hesitantly caved and dropped it, silence ruling over them once again.

Jisung started cursing himself in his head again for acting this rude towards him, especially because the Warlock had only tried to help him. But being here and literally looking through not only his own, but also his mother’s past bothered him a lot and he couldn’t help but be on edge. That didn’t excuse being rude though and he knew that.

He also knew that Minho didn’t take it personally, in fact grew only more worried. But that didn’t change that he was feeling guilty. The only thing he hated more than looking through his mother’s stuff was this silence.  
And so, he broke it after a few more minutes, »I…I hate this.«

Minho looked up from the box of jewellery he had found, gaze neutral but eyes full of emotions, indicating that he was listening, »…Being here?«  
»This whole situation«, the potion expert elaborated with a huff and took a deep breath to start his following rent, »I hate that my memories are clouded, I hate that apparently, I’m a monster, I hate that my father seems more and more like an asshole to me even though I barely remember him, I hate that we know nothing after all these weeks, I hate that my life seems to be a whole mystery and I just don’t know what to think or do because however I try to connect the dots, I always come to the conclusion that the world would be a much better place if that Mr. Jeon would’ve just killed me back then-…«

He was interrupted by Minho suddenly slamming the box down on the ground and moving in front of Jisung, hands framing his face as he said, »I want you to listen to me now, Jisung. I don’t care what people called you when you were a child, who wanted to get rid of you or how many bad things you think you did in the past. Everything in this world needs opposites to exist and yes, you do have some dark things inside of you, yes, there is something weird about you. But this world would not be a better place if you would’ve died back then. Call it fate, call it destiny, I don’t know, and I don’t care. But out of all the people I could’ve met in my life, I met _you_ and I won’t let you guilt-trip yourself and your life into something meaningless for things you don’t even remember. You are perfect, just the way you are and everything about you makes the people around you shine brighter and better. So why is it that you’re the only one who can’t see how freaking awesome you are?«

Jisung remained quiet, merely staring into Minho’s eyes without saying anything. He had eventually started crying and couldn’t even remember when he stopped listening closely to what the Warlock said. He felt selfish for feeling better about himself because Minho spoiled his self-pitying brain with words of reassurance.  
He sobbed and let the Warlock brush away the tears that fell down his cheeks.  
»I’m sorry«, he mumbled and hiccupped, »I’m sorry you have to d-deal with me like this. I don’t even know why I think I have any right to complain about my sorry excuse of problems when your life is cursed by a Sin of Hell.«

»Don’t _ever_ say that«, Minho dismissed his words and brushed away some lost hair, »Your problems matter just as much as mine. Your life wasn’t easy as well. Stop making yourself worse than you actually are.«  
Another sob fell from Jisung’s lips as he felt Minho’s warm fingers brush against his cheeks, eyes glowing up a soft, bright magenta – it was weird how easily the colour of his eyes showed what he was thinking and how he was feeling. Right now, Jisung saw one emotion very clearly in the Warlock’s eyes; _affection_.

So much affection that Jisung couldn’t help but be bold.  
»Why are you holding back all the time?«, he asked, and Minho seemed to understand what he was talking about without needing an elaboration.  
The affection didn’t fade as the magenta started blinking slightly, »I am lust, Jisung. My Sin makes people do irrational things. I force people to want something they don’t actually need, and I don’t want you to get influenced the way I influence most people.«

Jisung frowned and pouted, »But I’m not just most people. And we’ve already established that I’m probably immune against your Sins and Commandments. There’s something between us…so why are you holding back?«  
The colour in Minho’s eyes shifted, seemingly swimming around until it turned darker and darker, his gaze slightly hazing over with emotions Minho usually managed to control; want, lust.  
»Don’t test me, Jisung. There’s only so much I can do to hold myself back and you know when I snap, it happens fast«, Minho uttered in a low voice.

That didn’t answer any of Jisung’s questions, but he understood what the Warlock tried to tell him. Which made him feel even more guilty for what he did next, because Minho just said he tried not to do _exactly_ what Jisung was doing now. They locked eyes and Jisung felt the air around them vibrate, not sure if it was his imagination or Minho’s magical power slipping.  
He hesitantly removed the Warlock’s hands from his cheeks and climbed in his lap, faces only inches from each other, noses brushing, breath mingling – this whole situation triggered a Dejavu none of them were aware of existing. But the difference was that Jisung wouldn’t allow Minho to back out again.  
Not this time.  
»If you really do not want me, then push me away«, Jisung said and carefully inched even closer, lips temptingly brushing against Minho’s, »You told me to stop you last time and I didn’t so why would you think I care about your powers influencing me or not now? I won’t stop you so if you really do not want this, _you’ll have to stop me_.«

The next few seconds happened so fast, Jisung couldn’t remember even if he wanted to; Minho’s hands pulled him even closer by the waist, lips pushing against his within an instant. Nothing about the kiss was sweet or calm, similar to how it had been last time this happened; it was rushed, it was needy, it was like they couldn’t breathe without each other and even though Jisung knew that literally everything in Heaven and Hell seemed to be against…_whatever the two of them were_, he couldn’t help but wanting _more_.  
He gasped when he felt Minho’s hands tighten on his waist, relishing in the feeling of their tongues meeting and the kiss intensifying. He had never been kissed like this, never been touched like this, never _felt_ like this.

Jisung shifted on Minho’s lap, pushing the Warlock on his back so he was sitting on his hips, lips finally detaching themselves for only a second to get some air back into their systems and then dive back in at the same time. The feeling was addicting, Minho’s hands roaming along his body as if they wanted to remember every curve, every imperfection, every shape, and form.  
Heads blank, thoughts swimming, bodies pressing more against each other, gasps and whimpers leaving their lips – it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that they didn’t hear anything else but themselves.

That didn’t change the fact that Changbin suddenly throwing the door open and shrieking in shock made the two of them drop out of their weird haze within an instant.  
The Werewolf cursed while turning around in lightning speed, »My poor eyes! I left you two for ten minutes and you use that opportunity to hump each other in a basement!«  
Jisung’s brain could barely catch on to what was happening, mind still hazy as he tried to comprehend what the hell just happened – again!  
Unlike Minho, who sat up with a very dazed Jisung on his lap, »We did not hump each other you sad excuse of a dog!«

»_Sad excuse of a_-…you know what, no! I won’t discuss this, get your boyfriend back to earth and then help me summon Jeongin back here, the fairies need to get back home!«

Neither Minho nor Jisung denied the term _‘boyfriend’_ and instead just watched Changbin storm out of the room.  
Jisung couldn’t help but stare at Minho’s lips as they moved, not really listening to anything the other said. He dropped out of his weird trance when he heard a distant snapping sound, gaze finally focusing and mind slowly getting back from Cloud 9 as he heard the Warlock’s worried voice, »Sung-ie? Are you with me?«

Jisung blinked and nodded slowly, all the boldness from earlier flying out the window and instead making room for embarrassment.  
They just kissed – no, strike that; _they made out_. They full on made out with each other. In a basement. In Jisung’s old basement. Changbin had caught them and seen them.

He watched Minho talking some more and felt his cheeks getting red again, realizing his situation even more; he was seated on Minho’s lap.  
Jisung crawled onto it by himself, yes; that didn’t change the fact that he was turning into a human tomato right now though.

Meanwhile, Minho snapped his finger next to Jisung’s ear again and the potion expert startled out of his thoughts, face beet red as he hid it in his palms, »H-How humiliating-…I-I’m sorry…«  
The Warlock chuckled lowly and softly grabbed Jisung’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his face with a patient smile, »Now, now – weren’t you the one who wanted that? For someone who pushed me into the ground minutes ago you’re acting quite shy right now.«  
»Stop! Changbin saw us doing-…that…he’s traumatized-…«, Jisung whined and sent Minho a glare when the Warlock merely laughed, »I’m almost certain he’s seen and done worse, you know, as a wolf with ruts and all of that. But I highly doubt he’d tell anyone before asking if you’re okay with it. He’s much too loyal for that, so don’t worry – Seokjin won’t get to embarrass you even more anytime soon.«

Honestly, Jisung agreed on that one – he had only known Changbin for about a few weeks now but already liked the Werewolf a good amount. His sense for loyalty and fairness was incredible and even though he looked more like an aggressive dog, he was actually the softest puppy (pun <strike>not</strike> intended). He definitely wouldn’t go telling anyone about what he saw rather than covering his restlessness up with a blunt lie and then talk to them afterwards, when they had time and were alone.

And so, Jisung willed his beating heart to calm down and finally looked around, gaze flickering to the pile of books that must’ve fallen sometime during their make-out-session (he remembered hearing a dull thumb but to be honest, the only thing he could very clearly remember was Minho’s touch and the feeling of their kiss-).  
He sighed, »Let’s get rid of all of that and get going – I doubt we’ll find anything important or useful here.«

Minho nodded along and they started organizing everything again.  
Just when Jisung wanted to grab the last book that lied wide open on the ground, his eyes caught the words _‘Mr. Jeon’_ and he almost screamed when he saw it, lifting the book up close to his face (he forgot his reading glasses) and reading the sentence out loud; »Minho, listen! _‘Mr. Jeon offered to look at Jisung’s case for free before deciding what to do about it so I’m taking him to Milaea’_! It’s a diary!«

The Warlock blinked and looked at the book, fingers carefully going through the pages and head slowly nodding along, »It seems like it. So this Mr. Jeon resides in Milaea? Of all cities?«  
Jisung frowned – it did seem weird, considering Milaea was the capital of Zodrium; the City of the Temple. It was no secret that the Temple and the High Priest were not fond of unnatural magic and every kind of sorcerer related to it. A Necromancer living in the centre of the Temple seemed a little bit…off…  
»Well _if_ he’s still there. I guess we’ll have to find out«, Jisung answered and willed the blush creeping up his neck down, when Minho just stared at him worriedly. The potion expert related; he wasn’t fond of travelling to the Temple’s capital with a Warlock of Sin either.

\-----

To absolutely everyone’s surprise, except Donghyuck, Chan had been ecstatic about the idea of travelling to Milaea and offered immediately to join them since he knew the city and had been there once. Jisung had no doubt about the fact that Milaea was a beautiful city, despite the rumours and bad stories about its residents. Donghyuck had very badly tried to hide his own excitement about Milaea and everyone was wondering what these two were looking forward to.

For once, Hyunjin had been the one who was against the idea of Jisung joining them on that journey, not feeling good about letting their precious potion expert anywhere near the Temple filled with people who tried to systematically get rid of his kind. But Chan’s argument that Mr. Jeon would probably recognize Jisung and maybe even deny their presence without him made the Warlock of Pride hiss and eventually cave, pouting for the rest of their small conversation while trying to hide that Seungmin’s soft pats on his head made him feel better than he’d like to admit.

And so, Group Milaea found its way into Hyunjin’s portal room (Namjoon had called them _‘Group Investigation-Jisung’_ first but eventually changed it to _‘Group Milaea’_ when literally everyone protested, and a fight started about how absolutely shitty all the names he had ever given the past groups had been).

Jisung whined at the thought of having to travel through space again, not missing the feeling of dizziness and nausea. Chan threw in that it wasn’t _that_ bad and literally everyone disagreed, promising him that Jisung simply could not handle space travelling.

Their Group consisted of Minho (what a surprise, isn’t it), Chan, Changbin and Jisung himself. Both of the fairies had begged them to join (Donghyuck because he really wanted to go to Milaea and Felix just because Changbin went with them) but Hyunjin forbade it with a simple, _»You two are drunk off your asses! Now shut up, get me one of those wine bottles you took with you and get to bed!«_.  
They listened, but not without grumbling slurred disappointment.

Just as they were about to finally jump through the portal, the thing lit up in a fiery red colour none of them had ever seen on it except for when Chanyeol or Byeonghee entered through it. Jisung’s reflexes kicked in just a second too late, someone jumping right through the portal and literally knocking him over with the sheer force of the stranger falling out of space.  
A shriek escaped his lips and then a high-pitched _‘ouch’_, as his head hit the wooden floor and the person barely caught himself hovering over him.

Jisung blinked away the dizziness from the impact his head made with the floor, looking up at tanned skin, glowing, sunlight-golden eyes, a pointy nose, and an absolutely stunning, bright smile. The guy’s voice sounded like how Jisung imagined a drop of sun to sound like; warm, rich, absolutely hypnotizing, _glorious_. It was freshly heated gold fluidly running across a beautiful sea of sunflowers, lava making its way over the landscapes of a volcano island, sunlight falling through a window; pure, utter warmth, just from the sound of his voice; »Oh my – I did not expect to get greeted like that once I arrived!«

Before Jisung could even force his lump to disappear and let him speak up, the portal lit up again – this time in a golden bluish colour – and Yoongi stepped out of it, Jimin gracefully landing right behind him.  
The God of Time had a very displeased look on his face as he said, »Get up from him you annoying idiot.«

The dazzling smile got even wider at the sound of Yoongi’s voice, a set of shining white teeth showing through the weirdly charming line of curled lips. He got up, grabbing Jisung’s shoulders in the process and literally positioning him back onto his two feet, hands feeling hot through the layers of his warm pullover, »I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to knock you over.«  
»_Hoseok_«, Yoongi snarled from behind and the man supposedly named Hoseok snorted, turning around to look at the God of Time without letting go of Jisung’s shoulders, »By all means of the sun, Yoongles, don’t glare at me like that! We haven’t seen each other in years!«

»Actually, _centuries_«, Yoongi deadpanned and crossed his arms, »Four hundred years, two hundred and sixty-seven days and about twelve hours.«  
Hoseok purred amused, smile still lingering on his lips but a really mischievous glint appearing in his eyes as he answered, »Aww, you must’ve missed me so badly – counting the hours until we finally meet again!«

Jisung blinked and finally managed to add two and two together; this gorgeous person of a human sun was no one less than Abium, the God of Fire. Given how absolutely childishly Yoongi had refused to meet this man again, he’d expected the God of Fire to be either an asshole or at least annoying. But Hoseok was anything but annoying or an asshole, his smile just as warm as his hands and the soft-looking, orangish-brown hair weirdly glowing in a mixture of yellow, red, and orange.  
»U-Uhm – could you…please let go of me, you’re hands are kind of warm…«, Jisung spoke up, his voice a little hoarse. His magical power definitely was not used to just getting touched by a divine being and his system was running full-speed right now, trying to decide whether he wanted to pass out or run a mile.

Hoseok looked at him with his gorgeous smile again, hands immediately leaving his body and an apologetic look in his eyes, »Oh; apologies. I haven’t interacted with humans in such a long time, I forgot that you react to my magical powers.«

Yeah, it was kind of obvious that Hoseok really seemed to miss interaction with normal people, if only for how excited he started looking around as if Hyunjin’s portal room was the most mesmerizing thing he had ever seen.  
Yoongi had meanwhile started massaging his temples, a stressed out huff leaving his lips as he said, »Can we please get this over with so I can send this idiot back to that horrendous castle of his.«  
»How rude! At least my castle doesn’t look like a giant hourglass!«, Hoseok answered with a pout.

Really, this guy either didn’t know how to be serious or he simply couldn’t stop smiling. Jisung’s face felt frozen just by thinking about grinning this brightly for as long as the God of Fire did.  
And they’d barely talked more than five minutes.

Hyunjin was just about to drink a sip of Jisung’s wine when they entered the living room, his face quickly shifting from absolute inner peace, to confusion and finally a hint of annoyance, especially as his eyes caught Hoseok as yet another new person in their circle of friends (?). He diligently placed the glass filled with wine on the table in front of him, a sigh leaving his lips, »I guess Yoongi found Abium?«

Hoseok smiled his dazzling sun smile and nodded, stepping forward with a humble confidence that made him shine, »You must be the Sin of Pride and Warlock of Nature! Your mansion is just as pretty as it used to be hundreds of years ago!«  
»…«, Hyunjin, clearly not used to people talking to him like that, remained silent for a few seconds and then, suddenly, straightened his posture with a really smug grin on his face as he said, »Indeed! Finally someone who noticed the beauty of my mansion!«

It was rare that Hyunjin’s pride was fed like that, especially because everyone was aware that he definitely didn’t need to get smug about things. But here Hoseok was, pretty much praising Hyunjin for something he didn’t even do himself.  
Jisung liked Hoseok (at least from what he had seen of him until now), but he started to understand why Yoongi (given how the God of Time just was) couldn’t stand him.

Jimin seemed to be very much amused by Yoongi’s grumbling and it showed that the God did not approve of the teasing. Honestly, their relationship got cuter by the second.

They all sat down, Hoseok getting his desired seat next to Yoongi, smiling brightly even though the other had looked like he wanted to attack him for even breathing the same air.  
»So…«, Hoseok’s voice dropped in tune, smile disappearing and mood changing instantly as he addressed the reason for his visit as soon as everyone had gathered in the living room, »…you want to know about the War and Kritix, am I right?«  
Jisung shuddered at the way Hoseok’s voice seemed to boom over them. It was silent for a few seconds before Hoseok spoke up again, a weird tune of uneasiness following his voice: »…The day Hell ran loose on earthland…not a memory I like to relive. As a matter of fact, I know why Ranera punished Kritix. I was there when Kritix did…what she did. Until today, I am not certain why Ranera reacted like that. In fact, I think if Ranera should’ve pushed someone into the Abyss of Nothingness, it should’ve been her and not all of those Gods that are gone today. What Ranera did that day…was _horrendous_.«

»H-Horrendous…? Why?«, Chan asked and Hoseok’s eyes glazed over as he seemed to remember the day, replaying in his head, probably viewing it as if it were yesterday.  
»…Do you know the story of the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sins? Why they became what they are today…?«, Hoseok laughed and continued bitterly, »A few hundred years ago, Zotuna thought it would be nice to have angels walk the earth, creatures who’d support their Gods and the Divine. She had not been aware of the fact that the Divine already knew how to create angels, none of us was. And so, Zotuna started by looking for a worthy soul; someone who’d get a part of her divine powers. She thought that would be enough to make an angel, enough to make someone superior to normal sorcerers. She asked many other Gods to follow her example, nine others agreeing and giving their powers to a soul worthy enough. But it didn’t work the way any of us expected it to. Angels are supposed to be innocent; pure, free from any sins, obedient. But humans aren’t pure, not the way angels are. Humans are greedy, envious…they sin. And that made them dangerous. They started using their powers for their own advantage, started going against their Gods, against everything they had been taught to do. And so, Ranera had to interfere; she figured their presence was interesting but knew that if she wanted to keep them, they’d have to be restricted in some way. And so, she created the Ten Commandments; strict rules that forced the Wizards to behave. They couldn’t go against their rules or they’d get punished; from simple pain to torture…over to even death. Ranera was merciless in making the following Commandments understand that they’d only get powerful, divine magic in exchange for their loyalty. They could not disobey in any way and it remained that way…«

»Nice story«, Changbin deadpanned and sighed, »And so, the Ten Commandments were born, known as the Ten Great Wizards with time; powerful Wizards who were loyal to the Queen and Goddess and mastered their affinity like no other Wizard does. What does that have to do with anything?«

If Hoseok was offended by Changbin in any way, he didn’t show it. Instead, the God’s gaze darkened even more, »Because the story didn’t end there. Ranera was the one who created this world based on opposites. Everything needed something to weight down its opponent. It was the recipe for the kind of harmony she envisioned for her kingdom. By creating such powerful, light-driven Wizards again and again, the world was imbalanced. Warlocks started feeling weaker, mages with darkness-driven magic got sick and died while the Wizards and light-driven sorcerers got more and more power. She needed something to weight the light down, something to make it harmonize again…«

Jisung swallowed, »The Seven Sins of Hell…«  
»Indeed«, Hoseok nodded, his jaw clenching visibly, »Back then, they weren’t Sins yet though. Ednera was the one who had to create them because Ranera’s magic was based on light and Heaven. Have you ever wondered why the Warlocks are…so different? I mean…why do the Warlocks of Hell have sleeping demons inside of them…and the Wizards of Heaven only had to deal with some rules?«

They all remained silent, not knowing what to say. It was a question people simply didn’t ask; the Temple viewed it as blasphemy, calling people out for _‘questioning the Goddess’ decisions‘_. And so, people started living with it without questioning things; the Wizards had rules, the Warlocks had demons. It was as simple as that.

Hoseok continued, »That was Ranera’s first mistake; she wanted Ednera to create Warlocks powerful enough to balance the light and dark, but she didn’t want to risk adding too many powerful sorcerers. So she ordered Ednera to give every individual Warlock of Hell more power than every individual Commandment of Heaven got. In total, both of them have the same amount of divine magic. But it was divided differently. That’s why there are only seven Warlocks but Ten Wizards. Ednera told her that she couldn’t do that without preparation; that she couldn’t just put that much hellish magic into a humans organism, that they’d die from it. So Ranera figured…if being human was the reason for Ednera hesitating, she’d just have to make the Warlocks less human…«

Chanyeol had a concerned frown on his face, »…She ordered Ednera to transmit a demon into their organism.«  
Hoseok nodded slowly, a grim expression taking over his face, »I sided with Ednera back then, told the Queen that this shouldn’t be done to humans, that it was painful, _inhuman_. She said that being inhuman was the point. And so, Ednera had no choice but to follow her orders. She did it; but not without telling Ranera that she’d regret this deeply. It was the first time I saw the two of them fight like this; I thought they’d destroy each other.«

Jisung swallowed, trying to imagine what a fight between Ranera and Ednera would look like. Probably not something he’d voluntarily witness from first row. He frowned and asked, »…But what about the keys? I mean they were already bound to follow their Gods; why did they break the keys to heaven and hell?«

»Because of what happened a few weeks later; the War between Heaven and Hell«, Yoongi answered and swallowed, »Ranera had decided to restrict the Ten and the Seven even more after that by creating Relicts and splitting the keys to both, heaven and hell. But why did the War start in the first place?«

Hoseok’s look was anything but calming; he swallowed at the memory, face suddenly paler than it should be and hands slightly shaking, »What do you think? Ednera told Ranera that she’d regret her decisions and _she did_. The Warlocks were living with literal high-class demons inside of them. High-class demons that feed on humans sinning. What was meant to be a restriction, turned out to be a way for the demons to break free. The Warlocks of Hell went berserk; they started acting like their sins, their bodies deforming, eyes glowing red, horns shooting out of their heads; the demons took over their bodies, controlled their minds, used them to turn earthland into a living nightmare. They summoned demons and hell-creatures, lured innocent people into the delicious feeling of sinning, eating the hate, the wrath, the greed, and envy. They weren’t Warlocks anymore; they were mere demons. The humans that once lived inside that body…didn’t exist anymore. They were so powerful that they managed to hurt Gods, to kill Gods…not even Ednera could stop them…«

Yoongi cleared his voice, gaze distant as he remembered that day, »It was horrible. I have never seen anything as terrifying as that ever again in my entire life. The world was painted in blood and fire. No one was save and everyone who wasn’t manipulated by the sins of hell was dead or dying. Ranera sent her guards, her whole army…they all died. She asked the divine for guidance, but it remained silent, not wanting to get involved with what the Goddess had caused herself. It was hell on earth…«

»…Ranera summoned a few Gods to confront Ednera, assuming it was her doing. Me, Zotuna and Kritix were the only one’s…who answered. Together, we travelled to Vriston…or what was left of it…«, Hoseok said. He was shaking at the memory, eyes glazed over with fear and pain…regret and guilt. »I remember the moment we appeared in Ednera’s throne room; remnants of what it once used to be. Her once beautiful, doll-like face was worn out and tired, the tight dress she always used to wear shred apart, long hair dull instead of shiningly styled. I have never seen her like this…I never saw her again anyways. She sat on her throne, head tiredly resting on her hand, a sarcastic laugh left her lips as soon as she saw Ranera with us in tow. She sounded emotionless but I heard the pain through her voice; the despair and disappointment when she said, _»You came to kill me, didn’t you?«_. And Ranera didn’t cave…«

Jisung tried to envision that moment; he only knew how the Goddess and Queen looked because of pictures or paintings. He had never seen Ranera in real life, in all her gorgeous living glory. He always imagined her to be just as warm and forgiving as she was said to be beautiful. But everything he heard from her up until now was either heartless or cruel.  
Hoseok’s pained voice pulled the potion expert out of his trance as he continued, »…Ranera summoned her sceptre; a powerful weapon she rarely uses. It allows her to make use of the stars and the divine magic, channelling her godlike powers into an attack or an order. Her order was to _‘banish Ednera as the one who failed the world’_. And Ednera didn’t do anything to stop it. She stood up back then, a sad smile on her red lips as she said, _»You will realize one day, that I wasn’t the one who failed the world…you did«_. And then she was just…gone. She disappeared into thin air as if she had never been there to begin with, not fighting anyone or anything.«

Hoseok’s voice sounded strained and Jisung needed a few seconds to realize that the cheerful God from earlier…had tears streaming down his cheeks, »Kritix and Zotuna were mad. Zotuna attacked Ranera, shouting at her for what she did, demanding Ednera back, wanting an explanation for what had happened instead of just getting rid of her like this. I don’t know what possessed Ranera back then but as soon as Zotuna channelled her magic on her, she redirected it with her sceptre and banished her as well. I tried to stop Kritix from what she did next, I pulled on her sleeve, I tried to hold her back…but Kritix had never been one to just obey and listen. She told me that Ranera wouldn’t dare hurt her, but I knew she was lying – I also thought Ranera wouldn’t dare hurt Ednera. Kritix was smarter than Zotuna was; she used her holy weapon just like Ranera had; her holy bow. She recited an old incantation used to purify and shot it straight at Ranera’s heart. I am still not sure what exactly happened back then. But the impact made me lose consciousness. When I woke up, everything in Vriston was dead and both, Kritix and Ranera were gone. I assumed they either got rid of each other or one of them just…disappeared. I found out later that Kritix had been punished by the Plague. After that, I had decided to look for the other Gods and that was when I met Yoongi in the middle of chaos…«

Jisung blinked, his gaze hardening and his head spinning at the information.  
»Ranera didn’t kill Kritix«, Seungmin muttered and everyone turned their confused gaze on him, »She jumped down in Sung-ie’s dream. She jumped with a robe around her throat…Kritix didn’t die because Ranera ordered a punished God to do so. It wasn’t _her_ who did that. Ranera is off-limits for every creature, she is the highest living being after the Divine. Attacking her is a crime in the eyes of the Divine. Kritix died because she shot the Goddess with her holy weapon.«

A light went on in Jisung’s head and he nodded slowly, »That’s why she jumped down in my dream. She wanted me to understand that what happened to her was her own fault…«  
Yoongi, who had been mostly quiet except for that one interruption he did, cleared his voice with a frown on his face, »Why would Kritix shoot Ranera with a purifying arrow though? How did she know something was wrong with Ranera? And what was wrong with her?«  
»You weren’t there when Ranera went to get rid of Ednera«, Hoseok answered with a visible shudder running through his body, eyes distant as he continued, »You didn’t see the way she glared at her, the hate, the darkness in her eyes…it didn’t need an expert to see that whatever was controlling Ranera in that moment; it wasn’t _her_.«

Silence set itself over the living room as everyone seemed to let the information sink in. At least until, all of a sudden, Seungmin started groaning, hands massaging his temples and eyes squeezed shut, a pained grunt leaving his lips. Hyunjin – sitting directly next to him – carefully tried touching his shoulder with a worried look on his face, but instead shrieked and flinched away from him, »Ouch! What in the name of-…«

They all sensed it just a moment too late – magical power strong enough to blow away a whole forest. Jisung felt Minho pulling him behind the armchair he had been sitting on just in time to prevent getting hit by whatever flew through the windows, the sound of glass shattering almost drowned out by the heavy wind flying around their ears.  
Jisung watched in absolute horror as someone stepped out of a portal, her short hair shining in the deepest shade of black, slim body dressed in a tight, red dress and high heels making a sound with every step she took. She stopped right in front of Hyunjin, her magical power concentrated in a way no one had ever felt it. Everyone remained seated and covered where they were, Jisung frowning at Minho when his grip on his wrist got tighter.

The woman tilted Hyunjin’s head up by his chin, a delicate but somehow smug smile on her lips, eyes glowing up a red-tinted dark-green as her soft, high voice said, »I always wanted to meet my magical opposite…guess you weren’t worth the wait after all…« She stepped around him towards Seungmin, who was still holding his head in pain, but glaring at her in nothing less but disgust while opening his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Jisung caught his gaze and knew what was going on by how desperately Seungmin stared back at him; he lost his voice. Something Jimin told them would happen eventually within his transformation to an angel.

»My, my…«, the woman said and crouched down in front of Seungmin, pale hands carefully cradling the angel’s face as she inched closer, an amused grin on her lips, »Would you look at that, your transformation finally started. Seems like I chose the perfect timing, didn’t I?«

Jisung turned to Minho desperately, trying to get his attention, »We have to help them! Why is no one doing anything!«, he tried to shout over the noise of the sudden storm outside. The Warlock clenched his jaw and seemed to have difficulties expressing himself, every word sounding strained as his grip on Jisung’s wrist intensified, »W-We….can’t! P-Piety.«  
Confusion set itself onto Jisung’s face until he finally understood, head whipping towards the woman in red as she stood up, snapping her fingers. Dark-green sparkles drizzled onto the ground from her fingers, Jisung watching in agony as vines started making their way towards Seungmin like snakes, slowly entangling him into a position in which he couldn’t move anymore, not like the poor boy was able to move much anyways.

Jisung heard someone groan and looked over at Chan when he stared at the woman with something he had never seen on the Wizard; rage.  
»M-Momo! How dare you…using your magic on us like this! What a-are you doing?!«, Chan pressed out through gritted teeth.  
Momo, the woman’s name as it seemed, merely chuckled, turning towards the Wizard of Water and smiling evilly, »Oh, _Chan-ie_; Ranera is gone. There’s no one left to punish us for anything. Why bother following rules…when I can just side with the obvious winners instead?«  
She looked at Seungmin again, her vines lifting him up, so he was face to face with her. Jisung was proud that his best friend at least managed to shoot her a glare but that was really all Seungmin could do. »I got the pleasure to kidnap this precious boy here«, Momo smirked and looked down at Hyunjin, who very desperately tried to go against the strong powers of Piety, »Y-You won’t get away with this!«

»Oh!«, Momo laughed, »But I already do.« She snapped her fingers again and this time, there was green smoke coming out of it, clouding Hyunjin and the next second, he fell unconscious.  
Jisung finally had enough, grabbing Minho’s wrist and very aggressively tearing his arm away from him. He shot the Warlock an apologetic look and tried to think fast, panicking when the weird, golden portal Momo stepped out of appeared again and the woman started walking towards it with Seungmin being dragged behind her by the vines.

And so, he did the only thing he was capable of doing without losing too much time; he ran after them and grabbed Momo’s hand seconds before all of them got dragged into the portal…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> talking about main characters doing the stupidest things ever...  
Han Jisung what are you dOing?!
> 
> y'all don't worry, they'll be fine...  
and I mean you got a Minsung make-out-session :D  
I absolutely love Momo, seriously. She isn't exactly evil, trust me - I hinted at what's going on in this chapter and I wonder if any of you caught onto it :33  
ANDDD HOSEOK FINALLY ENTERED THE STORY!!!! i am in love with his character and as you may or may not have noticed - Yoongi doesn't hate him anything as much as he'd like you to think lmao
> 
> fun fact of this world; fairies love alhocol - but they can't handle it. Suits Felix, Mina and Donghyuck in a weird way, doesn't it LMAOOO  
Chan mentioned that he was in Milaea once and for those of you who DID NOT read my Special Story involving Chan...you'll love the person you'll get to see in the next chapter :D  
If you haven't read that Special Side Story yet...you should do it, you'll get to know a lot about Chan in there uwu
> 
> ALSO this story is about...let's say over halfway through. Don't worry we're not near the end but we're getting there lmao  
I'd totally do a Q&A on twitter so if you haven't followed me there yet...feel free to do it? ><
> 
> there's not much to spoil about this chapter...so I guess I just hope you had a lot of fun reading it, as always uwu
> 
> I'd also like to inform you that I have to work on a second story besides this one (a present of a friend of mine) and therefore won't really have the time to keep writing this month. So it COULD be that the next chapter will have to wait for a little longer. I try to keep the schedule steady and uplaod it in two weeks as planned but I can't promise anything since I have to end the story for my friend by the end of this month and I have like 20 pages LMAOOO I'M A LITTLE BIT IN A HURRY lol  
please bear with me ><
> 
> also I'd like to express my gratitude for all of you. 2020 has been a rough year for all of us but writing this story and reading you guys' opinions and comments and theories and compliments really made it better. I generally love writing this and I'm so grateful for every single one of you who clicked on my story over a year ago, for everyone who did so within the last couple of months and everyone who'll do it in the future <333  
and thanks to everyone who wished me a Merry Christmas LMAO I forgot to answer because Christmas time was so loaded and I basically only had today as my free day lmao  
I hope all of you ended 2020 in a nice way and I wish all of my readers the best for 2021 :3
> 
> as always, thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> stay healthy!  
author-nim <33


	31. elixir of death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uhm  
y'all better try to hide cause  
i dropped the bomb whoops-

** Elixir of Death;  
To be quite honest, I’m not really sure why this potion is listed as a potion and not a poison; because the Elixir of Death literally kills whoever drinks from it. Though, it is more complex than just…that. People who drink it aren’t really dead as in; murdered, heart stopping, lifeline cut off. The Elixir of Death kills your _body_…but not your _soul_. Many remaining souls who are still wandering earthland without being able to leave are actually victims to this potion. The Elixir of Death was originally made to let people speak to the dead. But unless you are a Necromancer, speaking to the dead isn’t this easy. You get to speak with them…but only by becoming one of them.  
At the very least, you can pull pranks on other people when you drink it…right?**

Minho groaned and let out a stressed huff as soon as he felt the divine pressure of piety finally leaving his body. He expected to be more panicked or even lunatic at the fact that Jisung literally just jumped into a portal together with a gone-crazy Commandment of Heaven and a tied up Seungmin. But instead, he was just mad; _really mad_.  
»That irresponsible, dumb, squirrel!«, he cursed and looked back at Byeonghee when the Warlock of Fire merely sighed, »I hate to agree but yeah, I agree. What was he thinking…?«

Seokjin – who was trying to tame his pink hair – walked over to the unconscious Hyunjin, hands softly glowing as he examined his condition, »He was the only one who wasn’t influenced by Momo; what else was he supposed to do? By the way, Hyunjin is fine, just knocked out by some plant thingy.«  
Well, at least one problem less to be worried about.

Minho flinched when he felt a raindrop on his nose and looked up, frowning seconds later at the fact that they were indoors and there was no way rain could just drop on his nose despite the shattered windows. Byeonghee touched Chan’s shoulder with a groan, »Chan-ie, stop. I really don’t feel like getting wet right now.«  
»I will _slaughter_ Momo the next time I see her!«, he said in a deep voice, rain intensifying as his hands were balled to fists, »How _dare_ she?! What makes her think it’s okay to do this just because Ranera is gone?! What has gotten into her?!«, Minho stepped a strategic step away from Chan when the Wizard walked past him towards Jeongin, who shrieked and transformed into his fox-form out of pure shock, »Never mind, why wait – I will slice her open _right now_, Jeongin, teleport me to Seungmin and Jisung this instant or I’ll-…_ugh_!«

Chan’s angry outburst was cut off by Byeonghee swiftly grabbing the back of his collar and yanking so hard that the Commandment literally choked and stumbled back into Byeonghee’s chest, away from a shaking Jeongin who ran towards Minho and up to his shoulders in an instant.  
»That’s enough, timeout!«, Byeonghee said. Chan tried to wiggle out of the grip on his collar, kicking Byeonghee’s shin, »L-Let me go! I will skin that woman alive!«  
The Sin of Wrath pulled Chan closer by the collar, eyes glowing up a dangerous red as he interrupted Chan yet again with a much deeper voice, »I said _timeout_. Now shut up or I’ll knock you out. I’m not above that and you know it.«

Minho watched in fascination as Chan very obediently nodded and sat down on the floor as soon as Byeonghee let go of his collar, arms crossed and an annoyed pout on his lips; he almost looked like a dog that just got scolded.

Namjoon sighed and rubbed his temples, »So I assume that woman called Momo was the Commandment of Piety and Witch of Nature, am I right?«  
»Indeed«, Byeonghee grumbled, »_Mirai Momo_, the first in rank. Her powers are immense, I have to admit that – but she was never _this_ strong. Her Piety was stronger than the last and only time I saw her.«

Donghyuck groaned, »Just great. That woman kidnapped the angel and the potion expert to god knows where!«  
»Why aren’t _you_ freaking out by the way?«, Changbin asked and looked at Minho with a confused frown.  
Minho merely shrugged, »What use am I to any of us when I freak out? Though I have to admit, the thought of destroying Hyunjin’s living room to blow off some steam _does_ sound appealing.«  
»Please don’t«, Chanyeol said with a sour look on his face, »I don’t want to be the one telling Hyunjin his living room is as good as gone.«

»Something is off«, Jimin suddenly said and ignored Changbin’s sarcastic _‘You don’t say’_. The angel had a worried look on his face while softly holding onto Yoongi’s hand, »…Momo managed to make both, Yoongi _and_ Hoseok, incapable of doing something. Commandments _can_ force their powers on Gods but not like _that_. They are Gods for a reason after all.«  
»Her magic«, Hoseok observed and shared a look with Yoongi. They seemed to communicate through their heads until the God of Time spoke up, »…She was not herself. Something possessed her. Byeonghee, you said you met her. When was the last time you saw her and how did she act?«

Byeonghee frowned and briefly glanced at Chan before answering, »…Me and Chan visited her five months ago. It was around the time Ranera must’ve disappeared in front of Minho. After that, we had a big fight and that was when Chan got dragged to hell by the hellhounds. She was…normal. Anything but how she acted today; though I don’t know her well enough to judge if she would’ve been capable of something like this or not. She seemed nice…shy even. Not like Mina but…very humble and polite.«  
»Momo is a sweetheart«, Chan said in a quiet voice from his seat on the ground, »She could never hurt anyone, usually prefers to stay on the low and away from other people. That’s why none of you ever met her. Even I only got to meet her about three times before today and only because of an assignment. She’s treating her secrets and role as the strongest Commandment very delicately.«

Yoongi looked over at Hoseok again and the God of Fire crossed his arms, »…The portal. That was not her doing. Someone summoned it for her.«  
»A space affine sorcerer?«, Minho guessed and Namjoon groaned, »Not _any_ space sorcerer; probably the Wizard of Space. A normal sorcerer couldn’t do this.«  
Changbin threw his hands in the air and then settled them crossed in front of his chest with an annoyed huff, »Great! So now you tell me that two of the Ten Great Wizards have gone totally mental and decided to work with the bad guys _we_ _haven’t even met personally yet_ just because Ranera isn’t here anymore!«

»You are quite the pessimist«, Jin snarled at Changbin and the Werewolf scoffed, »No, I’m _realistic_. That’s a difference, _pinkie_.«  
»_Pinkie_?! Have you ever wondered what Pluto looks like cause I’d _love_ to show you!«, Jin said back and Changbin stepped towards him with a challenging glare, »You will be wolf’s food before you get to finish that incantation of yours!«

»Okay stop!«, Namjoon stepped in-between, literally, and glared back and forth between the two, his Commandment of Pacifism flowing out to calm the both of them down forcefully, »What has gotten _into you_, stop fighting like two kids in kindergarten! Seungmin and Jisung just got kidnapped _right in front of our eyes_ and you have the nerves to fight over pessimistic thoughts! Get yourself a grip!«

Seokjin and Changbin both visibly calmed down and frowned confused, blinking at each other as if they just woke up. Minho turned to look at Byeonghee, suspecting that maybe, his power was slipping. But the Sin of Wrath was as calm and composed as ever, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.   
»You noticed, right?«, Yoongi said and Minho looked at him with a frown, »You thought something influenced their feelings…«  
»Minho can you do me a favour?«, Hoseok asked and the Warlock frowned, shrugging slowly. The God of Fire elaborated, »You are the Warlock of Darkness, right? Can you sense something…unusual? Everything, really, even if its just a little tiny something.«

Minho’s frown intensified but he decided to check for himself; he didn’t have anything to lose, did he?  
Closing his eyes, he tried concentrating on the darkness around; the small elemental traces of himself, the darkness-driven magic from the current Warlocks in here…and then, just before he wanted to cut it off and tell Hoseok that he didn’t feel anything weird, he sensed it; something cold, something ugly…something _evil_. A darkness so unlike the natural magic they all used, so absolutely unknown and cold that he felt his fingers running out of blood, shuddering, nausea spreading inside him, thoughts filled with hatred, _so much hatred_.  
He snapped out of it when he felt something drip onto his arms, thinking that Chan made it rain again but then realising that his nose started to bleed. He blinked away the dizziness and summoned a tissue, holding it against his running nose with a displeased grumble before answering Hoseok, »…Its _barely_ there, really. But it’s there; the same ugly magic we felt because of the hellhounds, the same magic that spread around Veteus when he tried taking over Atror, the same magic I sensed around the Bastrath.«

»I knew it«, Hoseok said and remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly thinking about his next words and then, finally snapping his fingers, opening a portal to what seemed to be his castle (they were able to see it, probably because that portal was a shortcut to his home), »…_I _will get back your potion expert and the angel, don’t worry about them. For now, make yourself useful by doing me a favour; find that Mr. Jeon and tell him what you felt and what happened. Please, just trust me on this. There is no time to explain. Yoongi, if needed, get that Mr. Jeon to talk to you…with your special way of convincing people.«

The God of Time smirked, the first smile he sent Hoseok today, and nodded, »I hope he’ll let it come as far as that…«  
»Seokjin«, Hoseok called the Commandment out and Jin looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The God pointed at the room and said, »…Purify this whole mansion.«

And then Hoseok was gone, disappearing behind the spiral of a portal, and leaving behind a group of very confused and concerned Warlocks and Wizards.

\-----

A scoff left Minho’s lips as he watched Donghyuck jump out of the portal seconds after Chan did, a happy smile on his face and an excited skip to his steps that Chan only seemed to match because the two of them were obviously happy about the same thing; being in Milaea.  
Though they had all been quite confused, Yoongi pretty much ordered them to just listen to Hoseok and let him deal with their kidnapped friends (really, he threatened to turn them into dust if they’d try to go against that plan any further and though Minho would’ve loved to provoke him, he knew that Yoongi would stay true to his word).   
With new formation, Group Milaea consisted of Minho, Chan, Byeonghee (Chan forced him to tag along), Donghyuck and Felix (the fairy managed to convince them that he wasn’t drunk anymore and wanted to help; he almost started crying and that was enough for literally all of them to cave and agree, reassuring Felix that they’d let him join the Group if he’d stop crying. Minho is fairly certain he saw the fairy grinning in triumph after they all agreed anyways but he decided to act like his picture of the innocent fairy-boy was not tainted with corruption).

Just like Chan had promised them, Milaea was absolutely beautiful; a city once controlled by the God of Air and therefore highly influenced by its powers and remnants. The people used to worship the long gone God of Air even after he was dead for centuries, but that all changed when the Temple rose and claimed its place as highest authority after the Queen and Goddess Ranera herself and the remaining Gods. Though, as Yoongi had already hinted with much annoyance, the Temple very obviously did not respect the other Gods at all, and their smiles were anything but honest whenever he got to interact with people from the Temple. Minho hated to admit it, but he was secretly quite happy that Jisung didn’t need to be here; the Temple killed his mother after all and even when the squirrel-looking potion expert claimed he didn’t care, Minho knew that it bothered him a lot more than he’d want them to know.

The city was more or less empty, considering they were running towards the end of November and it was raining, air cold and sky grey. Still, Milaea managed to look beautiful and colourful; there were many differently coloured houses and cute flower pots all around the town, windmills spinning as a known symbol for their once ruling God. Minho assumed that Taehyung and Mina would’ve liked it here if only for the remnants of elemental air magic.

Chan turned around to them with a big smile on his lips, »And? Did I lie? Milaea is beautiful, isn’t it!«  
»Yeah, okay«, Minho agreed and sighed, »I agree, it’s cute. Can we please just find that inn you and Donghyuck were fanboying over and find some shelter because if there’s one thing I hate more than waiting, it’s _waiting in the rain_.«  
»Damn, you are much more pleasing to be around when Jisung is here«, Donghyuck threw in and earned a very pissed-off glare from Minho, though, he didn’t say anything.

The Warlock of Gluttony turned around, his arm linked to Chan’s, as they walked ahead, smiling at the few people that walked around town and even greeting some of them, to which most stopped and looked back utterly confused.  
Their good mood was weirdly scary, honestly.

After a ten minute walk through the (really beautiful) city and a short stop at a croissant house (they made croissants with every possible ingredient), they stopped in front of a big, wooden house. It was right in-between a flower shop and a café, around a corner that lead into a street that wasn’t shady but also not busy enough to draw any attention; in fact, Minho would’ve never seen that there was an inn around the corner if Chan wouldn’t have showed them.  
Everything about the inn screamed _‘I don’t want to be found’_ and for some reason, Minho felt content as soon as he stepped inside.

There was a soft bell ringing above their heads as the door opened, the interior of the inn just as simple as the rest of the city; and yet, it had that special charm that just made you like it; wooden floor, ivory walls and a few plants decorating the room. In front of the main entrance was the reception, to their left a wooden staircase to the upper floors and following to the right hung a cute white shield from the ceiling, pointing down the narrow way to what seemed to be the _‘dining room’_. They heard someone humming behind the reception, a low tune that wasn’t exactly perfect but good enough to be enjoyable. Chan very happily skidded over to the reception, ringing the bell excitedly to which the person behind the reception yelped, a thumb resonating through the entrance hall as he seemed to have hit his head on something. They heard a deep voice rushing out a panicked, »I’ll be right there!«, and in the next second, someone shoot up standing behind the desk.

He had cute, messed up, black hair, some blonde mesh in it. His nose was pointy, high cheek bones and youthful, round eyes. What Minho thought was most interesting were his seagull shaped eyebrows though and he almost started laughing at the way they shot up in utter surprise as soon as he saw Chan, his practiced welcome speech faltering instantly.  
Chan grinned a wicked grin and made an innocent gesture towards Donghyuck, who mimicked the grin and then threw the guy a wink.  
Minho pitied the poor man when his mouth dropped open, eyes widely staring at the Warlock with nothing less but astonishment. He moved his lips, babbling incoherent things, until Chan eventually had mercy on him and patted the man’s shoulder softly, »Marku! Long-time no see!«

_‘Marku’_ (?) cleared his voice, head shaking back and forth in an attempt to clear his thoughts.  
»I-…Chan-ie! Hyuk! What are you doing here?! Hold on, why would you be here with Donghyuck, he never met you while being conscious…! Who are these guys?! Wait, why didn’t you write me a letter that you’ll visit – oh my god I look like a mess…! Wait we’re closed who said you can just walk in here?! Or am I being rude, oh by Ranera-…«  
His rambling stopped when Donghyuck slapped him across the back of his head, »Mark, shut up.«  
»Yes. No. Sorry. Apologies. Shutting up«, Mark said and this time, Minho actually chuckled.

Chan sighed and pointed at him with a wide smile, »May I introduce to you; Mark Lee, inheritor of this cute inn and the first chosen hero to be the ruler of Ifith until he failed his task!«  
»Chan-ie!«, Mark whined and let himself be patted by Donghyuck, who very calmly explained, »Don’t worry Mark, they are all Commandments and Warlocks…well except for the fairy there but he is the heir of the winter fairies so he’s technically over you.«

Mark panicked yet again, eyes staring at Felix who just watched in confusion as Mark stumbled past Donghyuck, around the reception, bowing ninety degrees, »My apologies, my King! Wait…you’re not crowned yet…but I thought that things were going on there, I mean, Jaemin told me he’ll be busy dealing with conflicts in the fairy woods…wait you weren’t supposed to know that! Your highness I am terribly sorry!«  
»He is an absolute idiotic mess once you’re in the picture, Donghyuck«, Chan said and the Warlock of Gluttony merely shrugged, »It’s kind of cute, isn’t it…?«

»Wait a second, hold on«, Byeonghee said and pointed at Mark in utter confusion, »This young man was the first ever chosen by the Divine who was supposed to ascend to Heaven as the God and Ruler of Ifith?! How?! I thought he died…!«  
»I thought it’s a legend…«, Minho mumbled, and Felix cleared his voice with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks as he said, »I-…I thought it’s just a bedtime-story for little kids…«  
Mark – who had been busy staring at Donghyuck very obviously – snapped out of his daze and threw them a charmingly cute smile, youthful face lightning up as he explained, »The legends aren’t about me, they’re telling the story of my successor, known as the Farmer’s Boy. My story is…not known for a couple of reasons. I failed heaven pretty badly.«  
»You were the first who tried something no one ever tried«, Chan reassured him with a smile and patted his back, »I think you did a pretty good job for the first time.«

Minho wasn’t sure if that cheered Mark up, but if he continued to dwell on his past, he didn’t show it, smile showing on his face as he asked, »Well…what can I help you with? I assume you aren’t here to just visit me…am I right?«  
They sighed at the same time and Byeonghee started explaining the basics of their story to the chosen one…

After Byeonghee ended his explanation, Chan jumped in with an excited smile on his lips as he cupped his boyfriend’s face between his hands and showed the therefore forming pout to Mark with such pride, that Byeonghee’s protests stopped, »See! Yuna told me back then that I’d meet fire and I did! Isn’t he just a dream!«  
His question sounded more like a fact than anything else, but Mark seemed to be happy about Chan’s proud excitement, his soft smile though soon fading as he directed their conversation back to the important things.  
His inn was closed so they where able to sit down in the cute dining room without having to be bothered by anyone potentially listening.  
Mark frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest, a very concentrated and serious expression on his face, »I’m aware of a Mr. Jeon. Actually, I know someone who made use of his powers a few years ago…but I don’t know where he found him. I don’t even know if that Mr. Jeon is still alive. Far as I can remember, he got sick because of…his magic.«

Minho shuddered at the thought.  
The problem with unnatural magic was, that they didn’t have any boundaries or rules. Their magical power was immense because the amount they needed to perform their natural talents were higher than a normal sorcerer of natural magic would need for, just to name an example, a water incantation. Most sorcerers of unnatural magic died quite early because of that, their own body not being able to deal with the amount of magic they need for their spells. It was very possible that Mr. Jeon died long ago.  
»Well, let’s suppose we’d need to find him for some of his services«, Donghyuck suggested and mimicked Mark’s serious frown, »Sorcerers of unnatural magic usually use their magic on the black market and sell their services very secretly to survive and gain money with it. There must be a way for people to find them.«

»How about a bar somewhere in the underground parts of Milaea?«, Felix suggested with a blank expression and elaborated, »I assume that if we’d find information about the whereabouts of unwanted sorcerers, we’d do so at a place where no one would like to sell these people out to anyone because of their special services.«  
Mark nodded slowly, »That’s right. Though, if you want to go to the underground of Milaea, I suggest you to keep the group low and choose wisely who should go – so I guess Chan and Felix are already out of the picture.«

Chan and Felix both simultaneously puffed out their cheeks and glared at Mark with an annoyed huff, »How dare you! I can be subtle!«, Chan defended himself, to which Felix agreed with a bratty, »Me too!«  
»I’m sure you can«, Mark said dryly and stared at them seriously, »But I highly doubt the two of you can come off as anything near as frightening as these three Warlocks of Hell here.«  
Minho looked up and met Byeonghee’s and Donghyuck’s gazes almost instantly, the three of them grinning at each other.

»Well then, I guess its time to gather some information«, Minho said with a subtle smirk and Donghyuck immediately started getting excited, »An underground bar with the Sin of Lust – this can only be good!«

\-----

Back when Minho used to live in Atror, he spent many evenings in bars and saloons, enjoying his evenings with some alcohol and live music while feeling the buzz of his drinks going through his body. Hyunjin – as the Sin of Pride – obviously enjoyed spending his time like that and therefore joined him more often than not to party for a little.

Though, as the both of them grew older and their responsibilities as Warlocks of Hell got more important by the day, they eventually stopped. Therefore, stepping inside this stuffed, shady bar after the night kicked in was anything but unfamiliar to him and even less the stares he got from several people. He was certain most of them weren’t only drunk, but also intoxicated by some sort of magical drug that would make them enjoy their evening even more and so it came to absolutely no one’s surprise, that Minho’s sheer presence lured in many people’s gazes even though he very thoroughly pushed down the effects of his Sin. Alcohol and certain toxic fluids made people a lot more careless and therefore unaware of their natural pull towards luring things. They definitely weren’t only influenced by him – some people were more drawn towards Donghyuck’s natural Sin of Gluttony or Byeonghee’s Sin of Wrath, if the people fighting at the left corner or a sudden group of what seemed like six people who wanted to get more drinks and snacks were anything to go by.

They quickly decided to split up, for several reasons; they were faster that way, for once. They also managed to get enough attention if only because of the obvious otherworldly beauty, which is why Byeonghee suggested they should try to figure things out on their own. While Donghyuck went to a corner where a group of people played darts with daggers (what the actual hell?) and Byeonghee hit on some guy to get information (Minho wouldn’t have thought that’d be his tactic but oh well), Minho himself walked over to the bar to get some gold information from the one person here who’s actually sober most of the time; the bartender.

As the Warlock sat down at the bar, he waved over the bartender; a small woman with a cute nose, round eyes, plump lips, and a mole on her chin. She had her dark hair styled into two buns, the front strands a natural grey as it seemed. He let his eyes drop to the nametag on her white blouse, _‘Chaeyoung’_.  
»Hi! What can I get you?«, her voice was timid but not quiet, cheerful, and yet very reserved. Minho smiled slightly at her and ordered a simple Whiskey; as a Warlock of Hell, he had some traits from not only his own Sin, but also the others. Donghyuck’s presence as the Sin of Gluttony heightened that and therefore, he could allow himself some hard liquor without having to be afraid of tumbling down the barstool.  
The thought made Minho chuckle – he wondered if Jisung was ever drunk. How he acted as a host; if he allowed himself some sips of the alcohol he sold or remained sober the whole night. Minho wondered what drunk Jisung would be like. He also realized that he couldn’t even ask Seungmin about it; he was gone and also couldn’t speak anymore.

His gaze darkened and he was thankful for the glass of Whiskey Chaeyoung placed in front of him, downing half of it an instant. As he swallowed the hard liquor, the alcohol burning its way down his throat, he remembered why he and Hyunjin liked to frequent bars and clubs back then; it felt good to let go like this. It was a good distraction from the raging emotions every Warlock of Hell had inside of them. Minho honestly forgot why he decided to order a drink in the first place until Chaeyoung’s amused and yet somehow interested voice brought him back to earth: »What kind of demons were you trying to drown with that Whiskey?«

He almost laughed at the term she used; **demons**. _Even if I could drown my demons, I don’t think they’d die_, he thought bitterly and felt his inner demon laugh at that as if he were mocking him.  
»…Just _‘What-Ifs’_«, he answered with a hint of a smile, taking a normal sip from his Whiskey this time. Chaeyoung didn’t look impressed. She merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged, polishing a glass as she looked at Minho with those shining eyes, »Ahh…the _‘What-Ifs’_. I’d say they suck the most. You’d never know about them…because if you did, you wouldn’t wonder, right? What stopped you from seeing and experiencing those _‘What-Ifs’_?«  
»I’m not sure. The universe, I guess«, as much as Minho wanted it to be a joke and lie to cover his true intentions in this conversation, he realized how utterly true they were; whatever kept him from following these What-Ifs with Jisung was somewhere up there and it was highly against the _‘Us’_ Minho would like to have with the squirrel looking man. Hell, something in the universe was clearly against Jisung _breathing_.

»Hmm…the universe isn’t the end of our life«, Chaeyoung answered and made Minho glance at he as he finished his Whiskey in record time. Her eyes seemed to glow when she refilled the glass without Minho even having to say anything, »Everything that happens can get changed by someone. It just takes courage to take life into your own hands. Nothing’s for free in this world. If you change something, something else will do the same to keep the balance. Ranera created our world like that, after all.«

Minho couldn’t help but stare at Chaeyoung with nothing left to say. It was clear to him that the bartender very clearly knew something, and he should ask how and what exactly. But for some off reason, he just couldn’t. Instead, he continued to stare into her red glowing eyes-

Red?

With a grunt, Minho forced himself to look away from Chaeyoung, air suddenly getting into his system in a much more pleasing way than it did seconds ago. He looked back to the bartender and saw her chuckling amused, »I wondered how long it would take for you to realize…«  
The Warlock couldn’t help but mirror the chuckle, raising his Whiskey glass with a hint of a smirk on his lips, »What is a Siren doing in the middle of Milaea? And are you always trying to feed on innocent man who just so happen to order a Whiskey from you?«

Sirens are dangerous creatures. They used to live in the oceans for a long time but eventually developed and managed to blend in with humanity. In myths, Sirens were said to lure sailors into their save death by singing tempting songs with their beautiful voices. But other than that, they also had a luring aura – they were masters in that field, hunters. They didn’t necessarily need the flesh of humans to feed (though it is said that they very much prefer that). What really does give them energy to remain beautiful and desirable is attention. They feed off of people’s wonder and awe, collect these feelings and suck the energy out of their preys with just a simple touch or a single kiss. Creatures like that used to wander under the rule of the Demon of Lust. That is, until Ednera had to lock the Seven Sins into Warlock’s bodies. Hence why they started blending in with humans.

Minho of course wouldn’t have let her do that to him, if only because he was Lust after all – nothing could ever manage to lure him into giving in when he was the one representing said sin.

Chaeyoung’s laugh was contagious in a weird way, »I wasn’t trying to feed on you», she clearly dodged the question, but Minho chose not to say anything and continued listening to her instead as she said: »I just thought there must be a reason three of the most powerful Warlocks of Ifith stumble into a shady bar like this in a city like Milaea.«  
»Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that«, Minho answered honestly. He watched Chaeyoung very attentively when she simply raised an eyebrow again, nodding her head towards the Whiskey in Minho’s hands. »Well whatever it is, I guess it’s for that person you have the _‘What-Ifs’_ about.«

Damnit, she really caught onto everything.

Without saying anything, she grabbed a napkin and a pen, scribbling something down onto it with a surprisingly beautiful handwriting. Her face was unreadable when she slid the napkin over to Minho, »Take this. I hope it helps you find that person.«

Minho looked at the napkin, taking in the words and looking at Chaeyoung with a question in his eyes. But the bartender merely smirked and jokingly bowed to him, as if she were greeting her King.

He downed his Whiskey wordlessly.

\-----

Donghyuck was an impatient person.

Clearly.

His feet were tabbing on the pavement for way too long, getting on Minho’s last nerve. Until they both snapped at the same time. But before Minho could even open his mouth to snarl at the Warlock, Donghyuck had marched over to the old wooden door, anger very clearly taking over his senses. He furiously hammered on the door, Minho fearing he’d break it into thousand tiny pieces.  
»Listen you fucker! I didn’t travel through space, almost got hit by a fucking dagger and walked through this rainy ass weather into the poorest, saddest reflection of Milaea for you to ignore our attempts to get inside! Open this fucking door!«

Minho almost laughed at that because; _wasn’t it Donghyuck who had judged Minho’s bad mood yesterday?_

Mark timidly grabbed Donghyuck’s arm and dragged him away from the door, nervously looking around and smiling in embarrassment.

The napkin Chaeyoung had slid over yesterday night apparently had an address scribbled onto it. And Minho somehow felt like whatever address it was, he could trust the bartender on that one. Maybe he was also extremely naïve and dumb for dragging Donghyuck to this address at ass crack in the morning but oh well.

They were currently in a part of Milaea not many people liked to talk about. The Temple was not a fan of many creatures and types of sorcerers in Ifith and didn’t try to hide that. Milaea was one of the biggest cities all over Ifith and Zodrium’s capital; the Temple’s capital, as people said. Unfortunately though, even a country as controlled by the Temple as Zodrium obviously housed Hybrids, pure-blooded Warlocks and Sorcerers of unnatural magic. People who were unlucky enough to live in Zodrium as one of those discriminated individuals were promptly treated as Misfits. This is where the poor lived, the Misfits of Zodrium; the Slums.

Minho should’ve somehow known that a Necromancer probably lived at a place like this. Unfortunately.

He sighed, »Maybe Mr. Jeon really isn’t here. Or not anymore at all.«  
The house they had tried to knock on was barely considered a house. Compared to what space Hyunjin’s mansion had, let alone Minho’s (of course he also had one, as a Warlock of Hell), this little hut built of brick and wood was really nothing. Suddenly, Minho felt incredibly privileged, incredibly luxurious. They stood out like colourful dogs in these slums, with their clean clothes, expensive shoes, cared-for leather and thick robes that protected them from the harsh cold and never ending rain of autumn. They passed many families, children, lost dogs, and stray cats wandering around with nothing but flesh and bones, shreds of clothes, dirty limbs, and worn-out faces.

It was utterly ridiculous how grey and sad this part of Milaea was while the actual city was filled with useless stuff like decorations. While the people in Milaea threw out most of their leftovers without blinking an eye, the people in the slums sat together sharing a single slice of bread, giving their last apple to the eldest in the neighbourhood, parents trying to protect their children from the cold with their own excuse of a jacket, adults filling the holes in their brick walls with dirt to prepare for the upcoming winter.

Minho almost jumped out of his skin when he suddenly heard a stern voice right behind him saying: »And who allowed you to slam your fists on my door as if it could actually handle that?«

He turned around and was met with a young man. His skin was dirty and glistening with rain, yet he was weirdly muscled for the otherwise common structure of the people living here. He had longer, dark-brown hair, locks loosely held back into a man-bun, a grey tank and beige-coloured trousers covering his long legs. He looked as if he had a hard night, even without the rain drenching his thin clothes and the very obviously self-made frock covering his wide shoulders. Most prominent about him though were the high cheekbones, pointy nose, round doe eyes and weirdly cute bunny teeth that made his scowl seem a lot less dangerous.

»My apologies«, Mark said and bowed slowly with actually sincere shame in his eyes, drawing the stranger’s attention onto him. He kicked Donghyuck’s leg and forced him to bow as well, probably to apologize. »Is this, perhaps, your house?«

The bunny guy didn’t change his expression and instead walked right past them with fast steps, fishing out a rusty looking key to open the locket that kept the chain closed to open his door, »Obviously so. And as the owner of this house, I’d very much appreciate it if you guys would leave me alone; you’re clearly not from here and I don’t need thieves thinking I am friends with rich people.«

Minho got why this young man didn’t trust them; most people here were rather reluctant in even looking at them, only few actually answering their questions without running off when they tried to find this street.  
Quick-witted as always, Chan stepped forward before the stranger could slam his door closed into their faces, eyes shimmering a soft and deep blue as he said, »Are you Mr. Jeon’s son?«

The stranger stopped his movements within an instant.

He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before opening the door with a full-blown sigh, the trained scowl from earlier gone and instead a tired expression on his face as he said, »Whatever you guys want, come inside. There are too many people out there who should not hear your reasons for bothering me.«

\-----

The last time Minho had sat in a house this small was when he introduced Hyunjin’s students and Seokjin to his mother Yerin. Her small apartment in the middle of Atror had had two rooms and one bathroom – imagine the small woman sitting on her purple couch cramped in-between Minho and Hyunjin, totally swooned by Seokjin’s signature smile and Yeji’s adorable quirkiness.

This house wasn’t even divided into rooms – the stranger had mentioned before they entered that if anyone had to go to the toilet, they’d better tell him now so he could show them where it was; apparently, some few meters away from his house. Lovely.  
As soon as they entered they were greeted by Chan yelping by hitting the corner of a small table right in front of the door, leaning on a quite unnecessary wall with exactly one chair. Minho could make out a self-made mattress behind said wall, a weird commode in front of it and next to that the smallest kitchen he had ever seen. There was one drawer installed over it and it was left open, containing some halfway broken cups and plates, one frying pan and a pot. Minho wondered where he stored his food but then again, he figured whatever food he got probably wasn’t something that would get bad as quickly as that.

It was honestly quite difficult to fit all of them into the one room Mr. Jeon’s son could provide. In the end, Mark agreed to sit on the makeshift bed next to Donghyuck, Byeonghee placed himself on the one chair there was inside this room, Chan seated right next to him on the table with dangling legs, Felix sat on the floor leaning on Byeonghee’s legs and Minho remained standing in front of the door.

The stranger turned around with a stunned expression, tired face immediately seeming even more tired and a sigh leaving his mouth when he reached into his pockets and pulled out a small box which, as it turned out, contained some cigarettes. No one said anything but he very obviously caught Chan’s displeased frown and elaborated while lightning the cigarette with a match, »I never had this many people in my house. You guys stress me out and I had a really long night so please, just let me smoke a cigarette while we talk about this.«

Before anyone could even say anything, he inhaled a deep breath from the cigarette, keeping the toxic drug in his lungs while talking and pointing at himself, »First of all, don’t call me Mr. Jeon – that was my old man and he died long ago.« He puffed out the smoke and seemed to stare at everyone at the same time when he continued, »The name’s _Jungkook_. If you know me, which you probably somehow will, it’s with the name Jeongguk – changed that name years ago so the thugs would leave me alone. Sounds too mighty, y’all know?«

Jungkook took another inhale from his cigarette, »Secondly, whatever the hell you want from me, for the love of god, don’t ever talk about me with anyone else who might be in Milaea. I really don’t need people getting all noisy about my life. And thirdly, most importantly; I do not do Necromancy so if you’re here for that, get the fuck out of my house this instant.«

With that, Jungkook exhaled a puff and let the silence linger like the smoke that slowly disappeared and made the room even stuffier than it already was.

After some time, Chan cleared his voice; »We’re not here for your services in Necromancy. But we do want to know something about it. Or rather someone your father once…treated.«  
Jungkook remained unimpressed, only showing that he was listening with a very subtle movement of his hand. If it bothered Chan, he didn’t let it show, »Han Saebom, Han Jisung – do any of these names ring a bell?«

Minho was quite dumbfounded that Chan chose the direct way of talking here. He understood why, of course, especially since Jungkook seemed to not really enjoy their company. Talking directly to him probably got them a lot farther in this conversation than prolonging the actual topic. But he always thought Chan was the quiet, the calm one. The guy who managed to think everything through, always had a back-up plan for the back-up plans and really liked to get things done slowly and thoroughly.  
Not with Jungkook, as it seemed.

The young man had stopped in his movement, cigarette hanging between two fingers and his eyes glazing over with something similar to nostalgia. Eventually, he dropped the cigarette and flinched, eyes focusing on the real world again. He cleared his voice and bowed down to pick it back up.

»…I do. I remember him. Don’t really remember the mother but I do remember the boy. God, he was so young…«, Jungkook mumbled and then shook his head, looking at Chan with more interest. Though, his face seemed stoic – careful, »Why? How do you know him?«  
Felix’s cheerful voice seemed way too light in this room when he answered, »He’s our friend!«  
»Indeed«, Byeonghee added, his eyes shining for a second, »And as you probably know yourself, many things are weird about him. We’re here because we want to know _what exactly is_ weird.«

Jungkook exhaled the last puff of smoke and smashed the cigarette between his fingers as if it weren’t burning – Minho internally cringed at the sound it made. The bunny looking guy still had a very careful look on his face, but he eventually said, »…There weren’t many things my dad and I talked about. Wasn’t a bad father, but he wasn’t the best either. The last thing he wanted from me before the effects of his magic literally ate him up was to keep Han Saebom and her son save. So why in my right mind should I trust a group of people with a topic so dangerous because they claim they’re friends with them? Anyone could say that.«

Minho sighed. He knew this wouldn’t be easy. He gave Jungkook a once-over and wondered if he could win in a fight against him. Without using his powers, probably not; Minho was muscular and trained but Jungkook had very obvious muscles, was taller than him by a few centimetres and definitely didn’t look like he was joking around right now.  
Mark – the diplomatic soul – cleared his voice very awkwardly and started, »I’m aware that this seems a little weird. But the truth is that with everything going on right now, you are one of the only remaining persons on this continent who’d know something we could actually use.«

»Besides«, Donghyuck spoke up for the first time, his voice serious and his face expressionless, »Han Saebom is dead.«

Jungkook’s mouth dropped open for a few seconds. He closed it again and took a deep breath, head hanging down. »…Is he still alive? Jisung, I mean.«  
»As far as we know, yes«, Chan offered and explained, »I can’t go into details because that story is _way_ too long but to make it short; Piety kind of kidnapped Jisung’s best friend _slash_ _by-the-Divine-chosen-angel_ and since he is immune against divine magic he managed to get himself into a lot of trouble by grabbing onto Piety’s wrist before they all disappeared in a whirlwind of space.«  
»…«, Jungkook didn’t look surprised. He didn’t look worried. But he also didn’t look like he expected this. He just…stared at Chan with nothing in his face.

Wordlessly, he reached into his pocket and lit another cigarette.

Only when he puffed out the third exhale did he finally say, »…When I met him I was five years old and my aunt dragged me out. All I know is that he was the flaw of our society. He heard things, he saw things, he did things – everyone said they’re disgusted of him but really, all I saw in their eyes was _fear_. He was a _monster_. My old man never told me what he did for Saebom.«

»Great«, Donghyuck huffed, »We came all the way to Milaea for fucking nothing. Why can’t things just work out? Are you guys cursed or something like that?«  
Minho ignored the Warlock and instead turned to Jungkook: »Well, whatever it was Jisung was or had or saw – your father stopped it back then.«

Jungkook frowned and pursed his lips, »He did what now?« - »He did some magic thingy on him and dearest Jisung was a normal human being. A normal potion expert«, Chan elaborated for Minho.  
They all startled when Jungkook laughed amused. He literally started laughing, almost choking on his inhale of smoke, only continuing when he finally managed to get the rest of the smoke out of his lungs, »Impossible. The boy wasn’t of Unnatural Magic. He couldn’t perform potion-based magic and he was not a normal human being by all means. Stop being ridiculous.«  
»What on earth are you talking about?«, Byeonghee asked utterly confused and really, Minho shared the sentiment.

Jungkook stopped laughing, grin immediately fading as he said, »I don’t remember much from the one time I talked to him. But one thing remains very vividly in my head; that boy had an aura unlike everything you ever met. None of you Sorcerers would’ve been able to ignore his powers. He was barely three years old and his magic was so instable that it attracted demons that shouldn’t even wander earthland. Why do you think he’s immune against divine magic or you guy’s Sins and Commandments? Because he’s just a weird magic potion expert? Don’t make me laugh.«

Minho wasn’t surprised that Jungkook was aware of their actual status and positions.   
Jungkook hesitated in taking another inhale from his cigarette when he realized no one freaking knew what he was talking about. He stared at them for a solid ten seconds, gaze suddenly hardening as he said, »…Don’t fuck with me. Do you even know what it would implicate if my father really _did_ get rid of whatever possessed that kid? It would mean he sealed away a part of him by killing it. Necromancers are not allowed to do that. If something’s inside you that kills you; so be it. Your balance cannot be manipulated by a Necromancer’s witchcraft. Because that would mean that something is missing inside of you and that means it’ll get stronger and stronger. Something goes, something stays – that’s how the world we live in is built.«

»Hold up!«, Felix interrupted, »We get the balance thing but what are you talking about? What do you mean?!«  
Jungkook seemed just as confused, »The Kid was never meant to be alive! He should’ve died before being born, he should’ve died at his birth. I don’t know the exact story or why things turned out the way they did, but all my old man told me was that the kid was a cursed soul from the second he was born; he shouldn’t have been alive. He existed even though someone else existed. The balance was off because he survived.« He took a stressed inhale of his cigarette and gestured around with that hand as he continued, »If my father really did what you guys say he did it would mean he killed the part in the kid that made him a monster. It would mean he killed something that cannot ever be fully killed as long as the boy is alive. It would mean that ever since my father got rid of it, all his light and good sides got lighter and lighter. And as we all know by the preaches of our Queen and Goddess Ranera; there is no light without darkness; the more light you have, the same amount of darkness is needed. It would mean that the boy has something really bad sleeping inside of him and I really do hope that my father did not do that. _I _do many dumb things but _that’s_ recklessly dumb.«

Minho couldn’t help but swallow audibly. He didn’t mean to, but he really had to hold back the acid that threatened to come out at the information he just got. Jungkook didn’t even know what he just made all of them aware of. Suddenly everything made sense in Minho’s head.  
He didn’t dare look up at Jungkook when he whispered, »What if I told you that someone is trying to get rid of Jisung with a Bastrath?«  
He knew that Jungkook was staring at him. Minho didn’t need to look up to know that Jungkook, in that moment, also realized.

Realized what was really going on here.

Felix’s voice sounded distant, »…Y-Yoongi said that he shouldn’t be alive. Sung-ie said so…himself…«  
»Mr. Jeon offered to kill him«, Byeonghee said in a quiet voice.  
Minho couldn’t help but shiver, »Jungkook…if a Bastrath wants someone’s heart. What does that mean? Why would someone want a Bastrath to get someone’s heart?«

Jungkook – for the first time they entered his house – actually showed what he was thinking on his face. He paled. Eyes wide, filled with fear, worry, compassion. His Adam’s apple visibly showed how hardly he swallowed down the lump in his throat.  
»…The light. All of what is good in someone«, he answered slowly. »If that Bastrath gets Jisung…you guys will be in a lot of trouble.«

»What would we do if that happened?«, Chan dared to ask the rhetorical question. Jungkook’s eyes looked distant and he hesitated for a really long time until he finally answered. It was pressed out. Sounded strained. Foreign even in Minho’s ears: »You’d have to kill him.«

And all that echoed through Minho’s mind was a pained, scared, and suffocated voice yelling at him,

_»Protect me!«_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :OOOOO
> 
> don't get mad at me  
I swear it's uhm. It's really bad lmao I cannot even lie-
> 
> bUt uhm...you got to meet Jungkook-ie!!!! uwuwu???  
(okay I got admit I lowkey love his character and I really like this chapter but I do feel bad about this information because it's so shallow and yet implicates so much and you guys don't even know half of it yet)
> 
> for onCe I don't want to say too much and will just wait for your theories on this :)
> 
> ANYWAYS  
I managed to write this in sonic speed next to the story I had to write for my friend and I knOOOoOOoooOw that I didn't have to stress myself over a chapter but I really wanted to make you guys have this and I was sick this week anyways so I had time lmao
> 
> as always- thank you so much for reading ><  
it's getting darker and darker in this fanfic and I am really curious about what you guys think...I dropped many hints and said many things in here :)
> 
> stay healthy!  
author-nim <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is like literally out of my head please don't ask how I got this idea because...I really don't know 
> 
> for some updates regarding the story; find me on twitter:  
@yasusthefairy


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